Sins of the Father
by Evelyn Rose Marks
Summary: Tony has one thing he loves more than himself, and that's his daughter April Olivia Stark. Though, as they say, if you love something let it go...but what will he do when what he loves comes back to him battered and bruised?
1. A FatherDaughter Reunion

_********__Okay, so I am just going to ask that you all be kind when reviewing this. This is my first time writing a fic with Tony Stark and I am trying to do him justice. This is basically me just going through my LOVE for Robert Downey Jr and his utter awesomeness. The man MADE the Avengers, I am a firm believer in that lol. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy the fic and review!_

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**Chapter One**

**_Tony_**

Being me always presented the constant problem of having to deal with my conscience. People said I didn't have one, but I did...as a matter of fact, mine probably plagued me more than it did anyone on the planet. All of my decisions seem to impact everyone in the world, but I always tried to spare the ones I truly care about. Whether it be by pushing them away with my arrogance, or paying them enough money so that they would stay the Hell away from me. So far, it has worked on no one...but I am always pushing the boundaries and coming close to the mark of ending up completely isolated. It would be safe for everyone if it was that way, but then I realize that it might not be the safest thing for me.

"Tony..." a soft voice appeared over my intercom.

Sighing I answered, "Pepper...you interrupted one of my more in depth soliloquies."

"Yes well...this is a bit more important than you arguing with yourself-

-don't say it like that...that makes me sound crazy. The word I used is FAR more eloquent."

"Tony!" Pepper snapped.

"Yes honey?"

"Your daughter is here..."

My eyes widened and I felt my jaw drop slightly. My...daughter? I could not remember the last time I had seen her. Her name was April Olivia Stark...and she was my pride and joy. Although she wouldn't think so, mostly because I had her sent to London to live while I screwed around in the states. I know, I know, it sounds like a total asshole move, but I'm dangerous and I didn't want my kid growing up with me as their father. It had been far better for April for me to send her away and let her grow up in a functioning home.

"What is she doing here, Pepper?" I asked, quietly. "Does she need...money or something?'

"Tony, you need to come up and talk to her, she's your child." Pepper hissed. "And she's going to hate you if she finds out that she came all the way from London for her dad and he couldn't be bothered to give her five minutes of his time."

I sighed; when Pepper put it like that it made me seem like a real dick. But when I saw April and knew I had to send her back to England it just broke my heart. I loved her more than anyone could understand, and that love is what had me keeping her away. It wasn't safe, and now that I was Iron Man, I felt that now more than ever before.

"I'll be up in a bit..." I said hesitantly.

Turning off the intercom, I sighed and sat down by the car I was working on. How was I going to start this conversation? Apologizing seemed like such old hack, and I knew that I couldn't buy her presents anymore...Hell...I couldn't even remember how old April was. I had Pepper send her presents every birthday and Christmas, but I wasn't the one that bought them for her. I didn't even know what my baby looked like.

"Jarvis," I called. "I need an updated picture of April, please."

"I will access her file immediately, sir."

"Oh...and how old is she now?"

Before Jarvis could answer my second question, a copy of April's driving license came up. She was now seventeen years old. God...so close to being an adult and I felt like I had missed it all. Probably because I had, I had sent April away when she was around five. For the first four years of her life, I had sworn to never part from her. But then I realized just how terrible I was for her, and how truly neglectful I was and I would NEVER let myself forget that moment...not even for a moment.

"God..." I sighed. "She's so beautiful...Jarvis...did her mother have hair that red?"

"Which one was April's mother, sir? You have had so many women callers."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks for that reminder Jarvis."

April had, deep, red hair. It almost looked like red wine it was so crimson, and her eyes were bright green. I don't know where she got that trait from, but I was happy for it. The girl looked everything like her mother, a classic one night stand, and nothing like me...a millionaire, play-boy, fuckhead. Pepper always said that she could TELL that April was my daughter, but I didn't see it...and in a way, I truly didn't want to.

"Sir," Jarvis interrupted. "Miss Potts is insisting that you go upstairs immediately...or she will send Miss Stark downstairs after you."

I smirked, and taking my hands through my hair once, nodded and went upstairs. I probably looked a mess, what with oil on my hands and in an old t-shirt and jeans. Well, I'm sure April wouldn't care...the deep hatred she felt towards me for abandoning her would probably mask the disgust she felt when she came across my outwards appearance. As I got into the living room I stopped...she was sitting there on the sofa, looking absolutely...terrible.

She had bruises up and down her arms, and her lip was split. What the Hell...no...WHO the HELL thought they could get away by doing this to MY kid?! Clearly these people didn't know who the FUCK they were dealing with! Rushing over to her, I knelt down before her, but she quickly stood and moved away from me.

"April, what happened?" I asked, my tone filled with concern.

"What's it look like, genius?" she hissed. "I got the snot beat out of me because I'm YOUR daughter!"

My eyes widened and I looked at April a bit shocked. She had gotten beaten up because she was a Stark? That almost seemed a bit unbelievable to me. A Stark was typically worshipped, at least in my line of work it was. How could someone beat up April?

"I...wait, what?"

"You heard me! Three men followed me to my University and beat the living Hell out of me!"

"Did you get their names?" I asked, following her as she made her way to the bar.

She snorted. "Yeah, they bought me dinner and introduced themselves before trying to kill me. That screams logic, Tony."

I watched her pour herself a shot of whiskey and down it. Tony...it was strange that out of all that she had just said, my mind was stuck on the fact that my baby wouldn't even call me dad or daddy anymore. Shaking my head, I looked down at my shoes. I didn't know what to make of any of this, and I doubted that I would be able to ask any questions without getting some kind of smart-ass remark...damn my genes.

"They said they wanted the Iron Man suit...oh, which reminds me," she threw down a magazine in front of me. "REAL fucking smart proclaiming YOU'RE Iron Man when you have a daughter living in Europe. Thanks for thinking of me again, Stark."

I felt my face get a bit hot as I looked down at the magazine and saw that I was on the front of it, in my Iron Man suit. Yeah...now it seemed like a really stupid idea, but at the time it had been great fun. I suppose that was because April had not been at the forefront of my mind. It was clear to me now that she should have been. Sighing, I took my hands through my hair once more, a nervous habit I have.

"April, I'm sorry," I said. "It just...I wasn't thinking about the repercussions, I was just in the moment-

-you NEVER think of the repercussions, but now because of you my life is destroyed and you don't even give a flying damn!"

"April Olivia!" I snapped. "Shut up for ONE minute! I do care about you and I do care about what is happening in your life. My life is complicated...it was just easier for you not to be in it, but now...I don't think it's safe for you to go back to England...you can stay here in Malibu with me and Pepper."

April glared at me, her green eyes cold and unforgiving.

"You are mistaken if you think I actually WANT to stay with you," she snapped. "I just came to get some money so I could buy a new house and lay low for a little bit."

"I'm not giving you anymore money," I said, my eyes dark. "You will stay here, and now I'm not asking. I'm telling you. You are in America now honey, which means you are a minor...my minor...and I will send the military to get you if you try and run away from me."

April glared at me, and I glared back. For a moment it was like we were frozen, trying to battle one another with our minds. Her eyes looked intensely into mine and I was suddenly sent backwards in time to when she was four and throwing a tantrum over having to wear a bow in her hair for a party. Had this really been the little girl I had known? Back when she had looked up to me with so much love and innocence. Now she was standing in front of me, a young woman, angry and swearing. I thought that sending her away would have made her less like me...but I think it did the opposite and made her MORE like me.

"Well?" I snapped. "What's it going to be?"

"Where's my room..." she grumbled, her teeth clenched.

I had to practically beg Pepper to show April to her room. But that woman just hell-bent on forcing me into positions that made me both mentally and physically uncomfortable...which is pretty damn ironic because I had made a similar suggestion to her the night before and all it got me was a roll of those baby blues of hers and a "friendly" kiss on the cheek.

"April's settled," Pepper said coming back down. "And you are...not...her favorite person right now."

"That's nothing new...I doubt I was ever her favorite person."

"Tony..." Pepper began. "Listen...you can't-

-I need to find out who beat her up," I said, changing the subject. "Those assholes think they can hurt my kid and get away with it...well...they have another thing coming."

"Do you think that's smart?" Pepper asked. "I mean...they hurt her to get your suit...what if this is part of some plan?"

"I don't care," I said, moving my hands over the screen of my computer. "You don't...**DO **that to any girl, Pepper! Especially not my girl."

I looked up at Pepper and turned quickly when I saw she was smiling. Somehow I had a feeling that this side of me made her extremely happy. April was at the center of a lot of our arguments, especially when her birthday came around. She would often insist that I go visit her, but I always came up with some kind of excuse. Then I would leave to drink and find a strange woman to sleep with...yeah...number one dad, right here.

"I wish you would let April see this side of you, Tony," she said gently. "She doesn't believe you love her...but if she could see this, I don't think she could ever doubt it again."

Moving some of my computer files to another folder, I grumbled, "I would prefer that she hates me."

"You're a liar." Pepper said, taking a seat.

"I prefer to think of myself as a...-

-a liar."

"Okay, yeah, I'm a liar," I smirked. "It is safer this way Pepper...I mean, look what those men did just because she was related to me. Could you imagine what they would do to her if we got close, or God forbid, I became attached again? No...I'm not going to risk her life for something so stupid."

"It isn't stupid, Tony, it's love." Pepper chuckled.

"I rest my case." I sighed.

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	2. Precocious Little Snit

**_Chapter Two is up! Now for chapter three, I am thinking of causing some mischief for the troubled daddy and daughter, but I really need to watch Iron Man 2 first lol. I know, I'm ashamed that I have never seen it, but I will remedy that ASAP! Enjoy the chapter and please Review!_  
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**Chapter Two**

**_April_**

I hated the idea of having to live here with him…I hated him. Or I really wanted to, but sometimes he just made it so hard. He had this face that just said "I'm a good dad" but I needed to learn better. He was a lazy bastard that wanted nothing to do with me. I didn't understand how any "good" parent could just load their little kid off on someone else. And then how that "good" parent could never call or try and see you, it just didn't add up.

All the things my father had missed and abandoned…birthdays, celebrations, my graduation. It was just utterly unfair. I didn't have anyone to cheer me one when I passed my milestones and it just made them seem dismal and unimportant. He didn't get that though…my father never did. For someone that was supposed to be a genius, he did the dumbest shit. Looking at the clock set near my table I groaned, it was only nine am, and yet that still felt too early to be getting up.

"Jarvis?" I sighed.

"How may I help you, Miss Stark?" the computer asked.

"Where's Tony?"

"Mr. Stark is still in bed, I believe, Miss Stark."

I rolled my eyes, yeah, that was completely believable. Tony Stark slept all day and partied all night, unless he was in that damned Iron Man suit and from what I have heard, half the time he WORE the damned thing just so he could party. It was absolutely mind boggling how vain my father could be. I never wanted to be that way, I had my strong points and I recognized them, but I would be damned if I was ever caught actually flaunting them. Rising from the bed, I cringed as my face throbbed when I went to yawn.

"Jesus…" I hissed. "I need some serious pain meds…I wonder where dad hides his stash."

"Your father does not do drugs."

Jumping, I turned in shock. It was Pepper, dad's assistant…or as I called it, his current booty-call. I knew better than to ever say such a thing, and I didn't really have anything against Pepper. She was actually one of the people I knew tried to keep my dad in contact with me. I supposed I had her to thank for the, beautiful, sweater I received for Christmas last year.

"Seriously?" I snorted. "Then that means he's naturally that…strange."

"Thank you for putting it gently," Pepper smiled. "I know it's hard for you-

-I really don't want to talk about him right now," I sighed. "I just want something for my pain and maybe some coffee. Does Tony at least eat breakfast?"

"By the time Tony gets up, it's lunch time."

Somehow I wasn't surprised, even if I didn't know him, my dad did seem like the type to avoid early mornings. That didn't bother me too much; at least we could avoid one another as much as possible. I just wanted to get through this period of my life and move on.

"April, I know you and your dad don't see eye to eye…"

"Pepper," I hissed. "The man dropped me off at the airport when I was five and never came back for me."

"He did it to keep you safe."

My eye darkened and I had to keep myself from advancing on her. Did I LOOK safe? If I had been living in Malibu, this would have never happened. I would have had my father right there when I needed him and rather than him trying to save me from something he couldn't make himself available for he could have BEEN there and saved me before it even happened! He was telling everyone he was a fucking hero but he couldn't even save his own daughter.

"No," I snarled. "He did it because he's a selfish prick that doesn't give a shit about you or anyone else that doesn't have the name Tony Stark."

Grabbing my shoes, I stormed from the room and made my way down a set of stairs. I didn't know where I was going; I just knew that I needed to remove myself from that room and any room my father was in. If I thought I could, I would hotwire one of his cars and just spend the day away from the Stark household. Tears filled her eyes and I quickly blinked them away, I was not going to cry for him. After all that had happened that was the last thing I was willing to do.

"J-Jarvis," I hissed, my voice trembling. "Where am I?"

"You are near your father's lab, Miss Stark."

Turning I felt my eyes widened as I looked at all the various gadgets that were laying around. I had never really seen my father's work, more or less I just heard rumors. I wanted to get in and look closer, but something told me Tony had this locked tighter than Fort Knox.

"Jarvis…what's the chance of you just letting me into this room?"

"I'm sorry miss, but unless I have authorization from Mr. Stark I am not permitted to let you inside."

"Oh, I understand, Jarvis." I said taking out my cell-phone.

Bypassing Jarvis didn't seem too complicated, it was a computer of my dad's own design…but really I just needed to find the codes he was asking for and I would be able to unlock the door to his lab. The only problem I saw was him setting off the security alarm, I had a feeling that Pepper and my father would not appreciate that kind of wakeup call.

"Miss Stark…I would not suggest trying to override me…"

"I wouldn't dream of it, Jarvis." I whispered.

Removing the USB attachment that I had installed into my phone, I plugged it into one of the smaller circuit breakers I could find. Now, it would more or less just be a scavenger's hunt trying to find the codes I needed. It wasn't easy and every firewall I met seemed to just take so much time to break down, I actually almost felt like I was breaking a sweat and STILL making no progress…it seemed my father wasn't as big an idiot as I thought he was.

"That's not going to do you any good," an arrogant voice chuckled. "You are just surpassing the same firewall over and over again. C'mon honey, give me more credit than that."

I felt my face flush slightly and I looked up to see my father dialing a number into a touchpad. Well…it was worth a try regardless and I didn't regret at least making an attempt. Pulling myself up to stand, I yelped a bit as Tony snatched my phone right from my hands.

"Hey!" I snapped.

"Hmm…not bad," he smirked. "Did you reconfigure this?"

"So what if I did-

-I'm pretty impressed…but then again, I shouldn't be surprised. Really, you are a Stark girl after all."

"Only by blood…" I growled, pushing past him and into the lab.

"Hey," he hissed, grabbing me by my arm. "Enough…whether you like it or not, I'm your father. I've been trying to act understanding about your damn attitude, but you are walking on very thin ice…now stop acting like a giant brat and watch how you speak to me."

I ripped my arm from his hand and turned away, feeling my chin quiver. I couldn't believe that I was going to cry over just being spoken to. And it wasn't like I cared about him, he may be my father by blood but that didn't mean shit in my book. He was the sperm donor and as soon as I was old enough to talk and walk he had probably been planning to get rid of me. As soon as I was able to calm myself, I turned to see where my father had gone.

"Why did you want to get in here anyway?" he asked, his tone more gentle.

"I just wanted to be alone…" I grumbled.

"Ah…well…this is the place to be just that," he sighed. "I sometimes don't even realize that time keeps going while I'm in here."

"Is that why you never call…you spend all of your time here?"

I moved over to a vacant desk and moved my fingers across the cool metal, waiting for an answer. I glanced over at him and saw his brown eyes looking down at a cherry red Ford Flathead Roadster. It looked amazing…even in its dissected state.

"No…" he sighed. "No…I never called because…God, I don't know, April."

I bit my lip, feeling it quiver once more. Somehow I knew I would get an answer like that. And for some reason that was just as bad as him telling me he just didn't want me. It meant that I was the last thing he ever thought about, that he never truly had a moment at night where his mind wandered across the seas to where I was. And I had been a fucking fool to believe that for a moment it did.

"April…" he said softly. "I…I know I haven't been there…but I do care about you."

I snorted, "Yeah, I can feel the love Tony."

"I know I'm not the best dad, but do you have to call me that?" he asked, sounding a bit hurt.

"You aren't any kind of dad…a dad is there for their daughter's sixteenth birthday, a dad teaches his daughter how to drive, a dad goes to her graduation…"

I turned to him, tears betraying me.

"Do you know how hard that was?" my voice became caught in my throat for a moment. "All those kids with their mom's and dad's and me with no one? Do you think I had someone in a picture with me?"

"That's being a bit dramatic…they don't hold graduation ceremonies in English schools…"

"FUCK YOU!" I screamed. "It doesn't MATTER! You should have BEEN there and instead you were probably in here fucking with that METAL suit!"

Tears slid down my face and I quickly turned away, to hide them. I was just so angry and I could not believe he would say such a thing. I knew that my dad could be insensitive, but saying something like that was just crossing the line. I had excelled in all academics, but I could see that mattered less than nothing to Tony Stark…no, because he apparently had already been there and done that. It was breaking my heart.

"Y'know…" I whispered. "Pepper tried to sell me some bullshit about you actually loving me. But I think that's just an act to get into her panties…isn't that right dad?"

I turned, my green eyes streaming and narrowing angrily at him. I could see his lips were pursed and a vein in the side of his neck was throbbing. Apparently I had touched a nerve when it came to mentioning his, precious, Pepper Potts…and I was underneath her, the sludge under Iron Man's boots. Why did it hurt so much to believe it? Had I really been content with fighting that possibility in my mind? Damn…I really was a fool.

"You can't even argue with me on half this crap," I continued. "Because you know it's true. You don't care about anyone but yourself and that's how it will always be-

-Stop. Now!" Tony snarled. "You listen to me, you precocious little snit. I will be DAMNED if I let my daughter speak to me like that again. You are living under my roof now, you are going to be respectful and follow my rules…as soon as I come up with rules…and, if you even TRY and say that I don't have any authority over you, just shut it right now, because I will go to a judge and get custody…right now."

I looked at my father, wanting to challenge him somehow…but also feeling a bit happy. He was going to get custody of me…well…so he said, but I knew EXACTLY how to get Tony Stark's goat.

"Prove it…" I snarled.

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	3. A Case of Paranoia

**_Okay, so this is a really fun thing to write...which is why we have gotten about three chapters in one day lol. I hope you are all enjoying the story. I told you there would be a bit of action in this chapter and I delivered. Pardon if there are a few grammatical errors in this chapter, but I had a very avid reader I wanted to get it up for ;)! Please Review!_  
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**Chapter Three**

**_Tony_**

April was testing her boundaries with me, at least that is what Pepper tried to tell me. I personally felt that this girl just hated me with everything in her being. So when she told me that I had to PROVE that I would take custody back over her, I wasted no time getting a shower and getting dressed in one of my best suits. I then sat in the living room and waited for April to dress and join me. It was my first trip with my daughter since she was a little girl...was it a bit...weird that we were going to a courthouse? Oh well, it would be a trip to remember. Just like the one's we had when she was little. As a matter of fact, I remembered her getting horribly carsick when I would drive… maybe she had outgrown it. For the sake of my Cobra's upholstery I hoped to God she had. When April came back down in a skirt and top, Pepper had lent her I had to bite back a chuckle. She looked like a mini-Pepper.

"Bite me," she hissed. "Pepper didn't have anything in my size…and it doesn't help that she has no chest."

"I beg to differ."

"My bra size is the proof, Stark."

"Ugh…this is too much, let's go and get this custody thing. I want to be able to ground you as I see fit without you arguing with me."

I heard her snort and couldn't help but mentally offer one as well. Even if this document came through, I really doubted April would listen to me or respect me as her father. It was time to come up with a list of rules…and although I wasn't one for them, I thought it would be extremely funny to set up ones for my daughter.

"We are taking the Cobra," I said leading her to the garage. "You get to ride shotgun."

"I can't drive?"

"No." I said opening the passenger door for her. "Not ever."

I could sense April was about to argue with me, so gently, I pushed her into the seat and locked her door with the tiny remote. The morning wasn't even gone yet and I already wanted a drink. Pepper would have to play mommy for a bit, daddy needed a serious stress reliever and that meant scotch. Turning the car on, I sighed as it purred underneath us. God, I loved this car.

"You still get motion sickness?" I asked as I peeled out of the garage.

"JESUS CHRIST!" April screamed.

Throwing my head back to laugh, I shifted gears and continued to shoot down the road. There was nothing in the world greater than a car that broke the speed limit…unless it was a naked woman, I would make an exception at that point.

"You didn't answer me." I said, pulling to a stop light. "Do you still puke when other people drive you around?"

April pulled her head up and tried to fix her hair, I tried to hide my smirk, but it was just so damn hard. She looked like she had been thrown out of an airplane. Turning back towards the road, I smiled as the light changed and I was able to continue on our drive.

"No!" she snapped. "I don't, thank you very much! But I might if you keep driving like a freaking maniac!"

"Psh," I smirked, slowing the car down. "My daughter not like speed? That's just not realistic."

"Can you just drive us to this stupid judge?" she snapped. "And slow enough so that we get there in one piece? This isn't your little Iron Man suit, y'know!"

Sighing I turned back to the road and slowed down. I supposed I had put April through enough and I really did want her to stop being so mad at me. We could have a lot of fun if she was just a bit nicer and less of a buzz kill. I wonder if that was why her mother only lasted a night with me, there is no way April gets her common sense from me. Not that I wanted her to throw that away…it was important to be able to set boundaries. I know that was something I really needed to learn.

"Thank you…" she said softly, her head resting back against the car's seat.

"Any time kiddo…" I said back just as softly.

This moment felt nice…it seemed that maybe we had a chance…a very small chance. A chance that was probably about as fragile as a piece of ice. And I was embarrassed to admit it, but I was terrified that if I stepped the wrong way I would cause it to shatter. Turning on the car radio, I moved my hand back for April to gain access. If this wasn't seen as a peace offering I didn't know what would be…I was offering to let her pick the music. Please, for the love of freaking God, let her be a seventeen year old that hated Lady Ga-Ga and whoever the fuck Kayne West was…please…please!

"You can…pick what we listen to…" I offered, the words weighing heavily on my tongue.

"Oh…" she said, cocking her eyebrow at me. "I'm honored…let's see."

Her thin fingers dialed in a station and I breathed a sigh of extreme relief. Thirty Seconds to Mars wasn't EXACTLY my cup of tea, but I would take that over any of the other modern garbage kids were, apparently, listening to. Turning it up for her, I smirked a bit as I saw her lips curve up into a slight smile. She really was a beautiful girl, and when she smiled I was instantly reminded of the baby I had raised…or started to raise. April would never outgrow that innocent smile, and it was hilarious how misleading that grin was.

The rest of the ride, excluding the music, was spent in silence. I don't think either of us knew how to talk to one another unless it was in a sarcastic and insulting demeanor. April, clearly, could speak with me unless she was screaming and I just didn't know what to say to her. I wanted to know what she had done at school and if she had a boyfriend, who would soon be dead. She thought I took no interest in her life, but I really did wonder what she was planning to do with her life.

"Soo…" I hummed as we pulled up near the courthouse. "I heard you were going to Oxford University…"

She looked up at me, her eyebrow cocking again.

"You mean you googled it."

"Yes, exactly," I smiled. "See…I do take an interest in your life! Not many fathers can say that they google their children."

"That's because most fathers have the damned decency to fucking CALL their children to take interest."

I felt myself freeze a bit; damn…she had a quick tongue, just like me. And if it wasn't being used against me I might offer her a drink and a few tears of pride.

"I'm an innovator…" I offered.

Though I could see that my, charming, comments were being rejected. Especially when April rolled her eyes and grumbled on her way into the large marble building. I couldn't really believe this…there were kids that would literally put themselves up for adoption so I could raise them and take them under my wing, but my own kid would rather be electrocuted then be five feet near me. Then again…my daughter wasn't a dumbass.

The court house was empty, but even if it had been filled it wouldn't be difficult for me to see a judge. I am Tony Freaking Stark, when I told someone to jump they asked, "How high?". I wished that kind of authority worked on my daughter, but I suppose that would have just made her into a tiny, little, drone if it did.

"So, how does this work," she asked me. "I mean, I know how this works…but where the Hell is the judge?"

"Probably in his chambers-

-have you ever seen a courthouse empty before?"

"Yeah…why?"

"On a freaking Monday?"

I looked around. It did seem a bit odd that a court house would be completely empty at the beginning of the week. Then again, it was still early. There could be a chance that they had all gone out to lunch. We would just have to wait for someone to see them.

"You seriously aren't…worried about this?" she asked, following me as I took a seat.

"Why should I be? It's a Monday…even bad guys hate Mondays, sweetheart."

Her eyes widened slightly and for a moment she just stared at me.

"That is the dumbest thing I've heard anyone say in a LONG time." She scoffed.

"Really? How long?" I smirked.

"About twenty-four hours."

"Damn…there goes my record."

April sighed and turned away to look around. Her unease was starting to make me feel a bit uneasy myself. Though, I didn't see cause for it. She had been attacked in England and I hoped that my daughter was smart enough not to let herself be followed all the way to the states. Then again, I suppose I couldn't talk, my most trusted advisor had left me for dead in the Middle East.

"Tony…" she said, her hand clenching. "I'm seriously freaked out."

"You are just paranoid honey," I sighed. "And after getting the living Hell beat out of you, I can't blame you for that."

April shook her head, her eyes still searching the room. She was starting to make me dizzy with how much she kept turning and spinning. I didn't like how worried she was, but I couldn't really comfort her. She wouldn't let me, so I just sat there, my arm casually draped over the back of one of the chairs. I truly believed it was just because of the ordeal she had to go through. I blamed myself for that…I really did. April's face was still a bit swollen from her getting beat up, and it was right then and there that I made a sort of revelation.

"Hey, did you go to a doctor?"

"I…what?" she asked, stopping to turn and look at me.

"Your face," I said, gesturing for her to come closer. "It's still swollen and something tells me that you didn't go to a hospital to get yourself checked out."

"Hospitals are full of corrupt pricks," April snapped. "And I didn't want to chance them trying to harvest my organs because I was a Stark kid."

I stared at April for a moment; her face set in utter seriousness, and then began to bust out laughing. She had such an imagination on her! Though, again, I was not completely unfamiliar with people trying to take my body parts. People were constantly asking about my glowing…chest piece.

"It isn't funny, Tony!" she yelled. "I was scared!"

I wiped my eyes and looked up, but to my horror, April was in tears. Wow…I really needed to learn to be a bit more sensitive. My daughter wasn't a hooker or one of my clients…and sometimes I forgot that. When she was little, it was often hard to find that balance as well…but boy did Pepper remind me.

"Oh honey," I sighed. "Don't…cry…I didn't mean to laugh at you…look, if you are that scared, after we are here we will go to the hospital together. I won't let anyone harm you, April…I swear."

She looked away briefly, and I could see that she was trying to see if she could trust me. I know that I'm not the ideal father, but I would do everything in my power to protect April…I hoped to God she believed that.

"Come sit," I said, patting the chair beside me. "You are overworking yourself."

"You…you really think, I'm just paranoid?" she whispered.

"I do…" I nodded, speaking gently. "There was no one following us here Ap-

But before I could finish reassuring her, a loud explosion sounded and before I could even blink, stone and wood was flying at us in all directions! It was almost like it was happening in slow motion and the only sound you could hear was the shrill whistle that followed the explosion, and April's screaming in pain. I looked over and saw that her ears were bleeding slightly, and the both of us were laying on the floor.

"R-Run…" I rasped, pulling her towards me.

She sobbed, and stared at me, with scared eyes. And her green eyes were the last thing I saw before I blacked out.

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	4. A Big Impasse

**_I'm not sure I like how this one turned out, but I know the next one will be better lol. I don't have much of a summary for this chapter, but I think it will show Tony in a much more fatherly light :)! I hope you all enjoy it and review!_  
**

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**Chapter Four**

**_Tony_**

My head and body was killing me and I could just barely breathe. I don't know what had happened, but whatever it was it had to have been one fucking party. Looking around, I realized that I couldn't actually see anything…I had a burlap sack covering my head. So this wasn't a party, no, this was a kidnapping. It's been a while since I had one of those. Groaning, I flexed my fingers, my hands were also bound. These people didn't seem to fuck around.

"Umm…excuse me," I called. "Can I get some…service here?"

I doubted I would get an answer, but when I felt the sharp pain of a hand across my face, I knew that I was not alone. The bag was removed from my head and I blinked, sharply, in the new light. The room was very dim, but after being blinded for, what I'd guess had to be, twenty-four hours, any small amount of luminosity irritated me. I tried to turn my head, but cringed as it throbbed. Damn it, that explosion had done one Hell of a number on me. After a couple minutes of trying to keep from vomiting, I realized something…I didn't know where April was.

"Where's my daughter?" I hissed.

"I wouldn't worry about Miss Stark," a cold voice chuckled. "She's safe…at least for the moment she is. Oh…where are my manners? My name is Ulrich."

I felt my blood boil as I saw a man emerge from the shadows. What was with bad guys and their need for dramatic entrances? I pursed my lips as he sat down across from me. He had greying hair and a face only a mother could love. No seriously, this man looked like he had stood in front of a truck and the truck had fucking won.

"If you so much as TOUCH a hair on her head, I will take that fucking tie you have around your neck and literally choke you out."

The man laughed, throwing his head back dramatically.

"That's what I love about you Mr. Stark! Even when you are at someone else's mercy, you think you have a chance at winning."

"I wouldn't underestimate me…" I snarled. "I've stomped on ants bigger than you."

"Mr. Stark…I promise this will only take as long as you make it," he leaned back in his seat. "I assume you know what we have come for."

"You are the limey bastard that beat my child…" I growled.

"I didn't lay a hand on that…child," he sighed. "I merely had my associates mix words with her…as a matter of fact they are in a room with her now. Would you like to see?"

He had my chair spun around to face a mirror, but when the light turned on, I realized that it wasn't just a mirror. It was a two way mirror, and my daughter was on the other side. She was tied to a chair as well, her head hung lazily to the side. For a moment I was terrified she wasn't breathing, until Ulrich pulled me closer and I could see her chest moving in light spasms. She looked sick and her face was several shades of yellow and purple from old bruises. I looked up at Ulrich and glared.

"What do you want?" I snarled. "The suit…I don't think you will fit in it, there's a height requirement."

"Don't be so stupid," he hissed. "I don't want the suit for me…and I don't think it's any of your business why we want it."

I looked back to April and watched as a man went into the small room and pulled her face up roughly. My body lurched forward, almost as if I would be able to rip away my bonds and save her. And I should be able to do that…I was supposed to be fucking Iron Man…I was supposed to be a great superhero.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" he sighed, dreamily. "How many times do you think I can burn her skin Mr. Stark…before it just remains scarred forever?"

My head shot up and watched, horrified, as the man pulled out a hot piece of medal.

"No, no!" I roared. "STOP!"

I caught a glance of April's eyes. They were full of fear and red from her crying. I wanted to go in there and hold her, to comfort her and let her know that daddy was going to save her. But then all I could hear was her pained screams through the room. Tears filled my eyes and I screamed and begged for the man to release her! I would give them anything, anything, just so they would stop hurting my baby! I looked up to the man, my hands and body practically shaking.

"Stop…I…I'll make you your own suit…I will," I bargained. "Weapons…I'll give you anything! Just stop hurting her!"

I watched as Ulrich pressed a button on the adjacent wall.

"That's enough for now."

My chest heaved and I turned back to my daughter. Her cheek was bright red and I just wanted to hold her. I wanted to take her pain onto myself. Just…anything I could do to show her that I was sorry and that I never wanted any of this to happen. It was my entire fault, of course, me and my vanity. And now my poor daughter…my blood…was being tortured, all because her old man was a fucking dumb ass.

"I am pleased to have your, full, cooperation, Mr. Stark," he smiled, his yellowing teeth glinting at me. "And I assure you I will make you, make good on all of those offers."

With a snap of his fingers, two of his "people" pulled me up roughly and shoved me into the room with April. They removed the ropes from my hands, but before I could turn and beat the living Hell out of them, they slammed the door and locked it behind them. Cursing loudly, I slammed my fist into the metal door.

"W-Who…are they?" a small voice whispered.

I turned to April, my eyes becoming moist, and slowly approached her. They had kept her tied to the chair, and gently as I could I removed her ropes and helped her onto the floor with me. Her body trembled in my arms, and a steady amount of tears flowed down her cheeks. God, she looked and felt so frail right now.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, cradling her close. "I am so sorry…I didn't want any of this for you. This…this was why I sent you away April. I…I had wanted to keep all of this from you."

Tears slid down my own face, but I kept them hidden in her hair, as I kissed the top of her head and kept my lips there. I was just relieved that April was alive. Battered and burned, but alive…and at the moment I was determined to keep her that way. We would get out…and I would make sure she was safe once again. No one would ever cause her harm, not like this…not like this.

"It…it hurts…to…to talk…" she whimpered.

"Shh…don't…don't talk." I cooed. "I am going to get you out of here…we will find a way to escape."

Her hands trembled as they clutched me, and I gently held them in my own, trying to warm them. There had to be a way to contact Pepper or Jarvis. I had a prototype suit that could come and serve as a way of escape. I just needed to contact Pepper.

"April…" I whispered in her ear. "Did you bring your cell phone?"

She didn't answer me, and I shook her a bit to wake her.

"Y-Yes…" she gasped. "M-My pocket…"

Reaching into her pocket, I took out the cell phone and cursed softly. There was no signal, and even if I could reconfigure it again, I doubted it would do us any good…the battery was practically dead. It looked like we were on our on for means of escape. Maybe I could build something while Ulrich had me working on my weapons; I could make a bomb and blow them all the Hell. There just had to be a way.

"J-Jarvis…" April whispered.

"What about him?" I asked, looking down at April.

"On…phone…"

I looked down at the phone and my eyes widened. April HAD hacked Jarvis, and here he was…right at my fingertips. That meant one thing; I could contact Pepper as well as call the suit to me while it was in auto pilot. The problem was that the suit was still in the embryonic stage, at least this one was.

"Jarvis…" I said quietly. "I need you to inform Pepper of our captivity…send her our location, but I also need you to send the suit…"

"Sir," Jarvis gargled, the signal causing him to pick up static. "The suit has still yet to be fully tested for-

-I don't care…send it…hurry."

And then the phone died…leaving us both uncertain if the message had gone through. I closed my eyes and leaned back against one of the grimy walls that had us trapped. We would get out of here, one way or another I would make sure of that. Looking down at April, I gently wiped some of the blood that had trickled down her face.

"T-Tony…" she whispered. "I…I'm afraid."

"You don't have to be afraid," I soothed. "Daddy's here…I'm going to get you back home."

"H-How?" April croaked.

"I will find a way, April. There is always a way."

* * *

April had fallen asleep, but I always made sure she was breathing. Every minute or so I would check her pulse and wake her so that she would not slip out of consciousness. We had just survived a bombing a couple hours ago and I wanted to make sure it stayed that way. The longer I sat here, the more I realized that the suit wasn't coming and that Jarvis had not been able to receive our location. It was almost crushing, because I really had nothing at my disposal. We were in a completely empty room, and the only thing in my hand was April's dead cell phone. We were, in so many words, fucked.

"Tony…" April gasped. "I…I'm thirsty…"

"I don't have any water for you baby," I sighed. "You are just going to have to…deal for right now."

"I…I thought you were…coming up with a plan to get out…of here…" she breathed. "How's that coming?"

"Do you have to be so sarcastic?" I smirked.

"Always…" she coughed. "Otherwise I might have a stroke."

"Well…I know where you get that from," I chuckled sadly. "I don't know April…I tried to send a message to Pepper from your phone…but…but I think we are just going to have to…do as they demand."

"No…" April croaked. "I would rather die…then let you…make weapons for them…"

"Then we are at a big impasse," I whispered. "Because I am not willing to let you die for me."

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	5. Cell Phone Upgrade

**_Here's chapter five guys! I hope you like it and review!_  
**

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**Chapter Five**

**_April_**

Dad was doing as the men asked…every morning they would take him away so he could work for them and bring him back in the evening with a bit of food and water. He tried to give it mostly to me, but I refused to let him starve. So we did our best to share it, and tried to keep each other's spirits high while we waited. I could see that he was losing hope for a rescue, and I knew that the more weapons he constructed the grimmer and more depressed he became. It was strange, a couple days ago I would have killed to make him this miserable…now it just tore at my heart to see him this way.

"What…do they have you making?" I asked, sipping some of the water he offered me. "Is it a missile?"

"No…" he said softly. "It's not a missile…I kind of wished it was though."

That sent chills down my spine…I could only pray that it wasn't something atomic. I just wanted the both of us to get the fuck out of here. I wanted us to kind of start over, but now with us both potentially dying the next day, I realized that I might not get that chance. That the two days I spent hating my father, I should have spent them trying to get to know him a bit more.

"We have to try and escape," I whispered. "Maybe…maybe you can sneak something back from where they have you?"

"They check me every time I leave April…" he grumbled.

"So hide it somewhere they wouldn't check…shove something up your ass…or…under your tongue."

I watched my dad look up at me, and he smirked. It was nice to see him smile, even if it was a small one. I had meant that as a slightly serious suggestion, but I knew that he would never be able to resist laughing at such a thing. We needed to try and stay positive; if our morale ran dry there would be no point in even trying to stay alive.

"Could you…try and get my phone a new battery?" I asked.

"We are trapped in this room, fighting for our lives, and you want me to charge your cell phone?"

I cocked my eyebrow at him. "You could try and hack their computers with it, Tony. If I got to Jarvis, don't you think you can access their databases with it? You could find out where we are and how the Hell we could get out."

He took my phone from me, his hands trembling slightly, no doubt from the lack of food he was taking in. It was an IPhone, and at the moment that seemed like the suckiest thing in the world. The batteries couldn't be taken out, but my dad was Tony Stark…he just HAD to find a way to do it, and he could. I had heard that he had made his Iron Man suit in a cave with a box of fucking scrap metal…there just had to be something he could do with my phone.

"I could try and jumpstart it…" he mumbled. "Kind of like a car battery…but I have to make sure I can balance the current so it doesn't fry the phone."

I watched my dad turn the phone over in his hand. He was going to need a way to jimmy the back off of it. Unless he wanted to route the power through my USB hacking attachment, the only problem was the phone had to be turned on to activate it. Maybe we could pull it out somehow.

"Could you get the power to run through the USB?" I asked, removing a bobby pin from my hair. "I can get it out and you can plug it into one of their computers."

"They could detect it."

"No, it won't try and access the files until you run the program."

My dad looked at me hesitantly, and I couldn't believe he wasn't more excited about this. We might have a route of escape and he looked like he was dreading having to go through with hit. I hoped they weren't trying to harvest his brain in some kind of mind control scheme…because I would not be shy of kicking the crap out of him to bring him back to reality.

"What if they come back and try and hurt you?" he asked, his hand gently caressing my cheek. "I don't want them to hurt you anymore."

"Tony…" I said sternly. "I want to go home…if you have to use me as bait, then do it. I'm volunteering; I want us to get the fuck out of here."

He looked into my eyes for a moment, and pocketed the phone just as one of the guards came in. I watched as he pulled my dad up by his shoulder, and I weakly reached up and grasped his hand. My fingers weaved around his, and tears filled my eyes as he offered me a brave smile and was drug out into another room.

* * *

I must have fallen asleep, because when I woke up the ground and walls were shaking and there was a loud rumbling coming from outside. Pulling myself onto my feet, I ran to the door and tried to peek out one of the small windows. But just as I was about to, a face slammed against it and I screamed at the top of my lungs, jumping back. For a brief moment, I had thought it was dad…but when the door opened and I saw my father standing in front of me…a makeshift gun in his hands, my eyes widened.

"How did you…" I trailed off as he pulled me out of the room.

"We have about ten minutes…"

"Ten minutes…ten minutes till what?" I breathed, trying to keep my pace with him.

"Ten minutes until the bomb goes off."

My eyes widened.

"Wait…what the Hell did you construct a bomb out of!" I snapped.

"Your phone."

I felt my jaw drop a bit, and I ducked as my dad fired a gun at a large man that had come charging at us. That was another thing, what kind of gun had he invented in the short amount of time he had gone? How long had I been asleep for? Oh well…it didn't matter, we were going to get out of here and that was all I cared about at the moment.

"Where did the gun come from?" I asked as he moved to a more vacant part of this Hell hole.

"I had been working on it for them for a couple days, it's just a prototype."

He turned and shot at another man that was running down the hallway. The only strange thing was that it didn't shoot bullets, no, this was a gun that fired energy! It was SO cool! I watched my dad, expertly fire it and continued to run with him as we tried to find some kind of vehicle or means of escape. The only problem was, there didn't appear to be one and I could tell that we were running out of time.

"Shit," he cursed. "There was supposed to be a garage somewhere around here…"

"Tony…we don't have time to go hunting for one," I said. "Just blast through one of the walls."

"If I "blast" through one of these walls the entire thing could collapse on us…" he groaned.

"If you DON'T blast a wall, the entire thing will collapse on us anyway…I would personally rather take my chances trying to get the Hell out of here."

I watched my dad look at me then back at the wall, and with a roll of my eyes I took the gun and aimed for the weakest one I could find. Putting my finger on the trigger, I pulled back and gasped as the gun thrust me back at least a foot and took out the adjacent wall.

"WOW!" I laughed, pulling myself up. "That was fucking awesome! I want one of these! What is this thing powered with, some sort of miniature-

But before I could truly analyze the gun, my dad grabbed my arm and began hauling me through the gaping hole. It was only once we were outside did I realize where we were. And it was absolutely disgusting.

"Ohh…" I hissed. "A fucking sewer…how classy…"

"This is NOT good," my dad sighed. "With the bomb it could take out the street and crush us underneath it. No wonder we had no signal…we have to keep moving."

My dad's hand clutched mine and he continued pulling me with him down a narrow path. It smelled terrible down here, and part of me just wanted to stop so I could have a moment to vomit. But Tony wasn't giving me that moment, and the faster we ran the more I hated him. Did he not realize that when a person ran they had to take in greater amounts of oxygen? Well at the moment I was pretty sure I would settle for suffocating over having to breathe this.

Then I heard it, a loud BOOM from behind us…but I didn't want to turn back and see if the stone walls were falling. I would be more crestfallen then ever if I was to find out that we had escaped just to get trapped again in an even, filthier, prison.

"Huh…" I heard Tony laugh. "I guess these walls are a bit stronger than I thought…it's still standing."

"Good." I said, breathing a small sigh of relief. "That's good."

"For now it is," he sighed. "We still need to figure out where we are and you don't have a phone anymore."

"How is it," I asked, turning to look at him. "That you are considered one of the smartest, richest, men in the world…but you DON'T have a cell phone with you."

He made a whooshing sound and took his hands through his, matted, hair. I was waiting for a comeback, but it was clear that my dad didn't seem to have one. And this made me laugh, there was nothing funnier than catching Tony Stark lost for words.

"There's one built into the suit, okay," he grumbled. "And I didn't think we would be away from the house for this long. Lesson learned, I'll admit."

Slowing my walk a bit, I felt myself sag a bit on my father's side. Now that we had a moment to stop and kind of breathe…I realized that I hadn't had a full meal for about a week and I was exhausted. My head spun a bit, but I latched onto Tony and held tight as he led me through the grimy tunnel. He felt so much stronger than me right now, and I didn't understand how that was even possible. He had eaten less than me, had less to drink, and yet he walked and held me close…supporting me as I stumbled with him.

"Some first week with your old man, huh?" he sighed. "I had hoped to take you out for a nice dinner, but I guess running from kidnappers and blowing up secret lairs is cool too."

"Oh yeah," I snorted. "It's a regular party, Tony."

We walked for a couple more minutes in silence, until Tony found a metal ladder that led up to the surface. I looked up and could see the silvery light of the moon, and feel a cool breeze from above. I had a feeling we weren't in Malibu, that air was far too cool for such a place…not to mention it felt a lot damper, like it had just rained.

"I'll climb up first," he said. "I want to make sure it's safe, then you can climb up."

"W-Wait…you are going to leave me down here?" I asked, suddenly fearful. "With the rats…and…crap."

"It's only for a couple minutes, sweetheart," he chuckled. "You will be fine…stay put."

"Well…be careful…"

I watched in a bit of shock as my dad pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead and climbed up the, rusted, ladder. I couldn't look away as he lifted the manhole cover and pulled himself up. And then I waited, holding my breath and watching for his shadow to return…only for a couple of minutes it didn't and I was terrified he had abandoned me once again.

"Tony!" I called, my voice quaking. "Tony!"

Tears swelled in my eyes.

"DAMN IT, DAD!" I screamed. "DON'T LEAVE ME HERE!"

I began to cry into my hands, sinking down onto the ground. Pulling my knees up to my chest, I buried my face in them and sobbed. He had left me here to die, I just knew it. Then I felt a pair of arms wrap around me and help me stand.

"Why are you crying, princess?" he cooed, wiping my tears away. "I just went away for a moment to get help…c'mon, you need a hospital."

I looked up at him as he gently coaxed me to the ladder, but I would not climb up it…not yet.

"You have to swear," I whimpered. "Swear! That you will NOT leave me again…I mean it!"

He looked at me, his brown eyes resting upon mine. He looked tired and dirty, but I could only imagine how I must have looked in comparison. However, that didn't matter at the moment. Nothing would matter until my father made this promise to me and tried to keep it. Otherwise it would just be like when I was five. He would keep me until I was safe and then send me off again to go party.

"I swear, April Olivia…" he said gently. "Now please…we have to go and get you some medical attention."

And with a nod, I climbed the latter up to the surface.

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	6. Full Up

**_Hey all, I'm sorry it took so long to get these chapters up. A close relative of mine has passed away and I haven't had much time for writing or finishing this chapter. I also have my own fiction site I manage that needed a bit of a tune up, lol. Anywho, here is the sixth chapter and I am currently working on the seventh. Please Read and Review :)_  
**

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**Chapter Six**

**_Tony_**

We had gotten to a hospital as soon as we could, and it was only then that I realized we were in England. I could not believe it, and I could tell from April's expression that neither could she. They took April from me to a hospital room, and that left me to fill out the paperwork. The only problem was I didn't know half the stuff I was filling out. Sighing, I sat there in the waiting room, and tapped my pen against the clipboard. It was times like these when I really missed Pepper, she was great with paperwork. I couldn't even remember my social security number half the time.

"Pediatrician…Hell if I know…"

Sighing, I rested my head in one of my hands. I needed Pepper, but I promised April that I wouldn't leave her in her current state. And really, I didn't think we could survive me walking out on her again. Though it had been crossing my mind. Part of me thought it would be better if she died her hair, changed her name, and just forgot all about me. But I knew that we couldn't do that now, we had been through too much in the last week. I needed to try this dad thing out; hopefully I would be able to make it work…though a large part of me really doubted it.

"Tony!"

Looking up from the papers, I found myself being hugged by a blue eyed woman. Her arms pulled me up and, I instinctively wrapped my arms around her as well. It was so good to see Pepper, and know that she was here to help April and me through this. She didn't think so, but I knew that I couldn't survive without her. There were times I wondered why I didn't tell her that, I never let her know just how much I needed to have her around…how much I loved her. It always seemed that I just kept throwing up walls in front of her, and each one she climbed over in an effort to get to me…but even I knew that eventually, Pepper would just get tired of climbing.

"What's happened?" she looked up at me, her blue eyes wet with tears. "Jarvis couldn't trace you; the signal was just so…so choppy! I thought you were going to die."

"Hmm," I smirked. "That would be a stretch, wouldn't it?"

"Tony," she sniffed. "That isn't funny…the suit couldn't find you and…and with April being with…-

-Hey," I said gently. "C'mon…I'm never going to die…promise."

Pepper looked up at me and I saw her lips quiver. God, I couldn't stand to see her cry…just like I couldn't stand to see April cry. It was like their disappointment just chipped at what little conscience I had. Gently I rested my hand against her cheek. It was so warm and soft, just like I knew it would be. Pepper was so beautiful, and a constant reminder how much of a prick I had to be to make her cry or upset her.

"Mr. Stark?"

Closing my eyes briefly, I, reluctantly, released Pepper and turned towards the doctor that had come out to meet us. I hope he wasn't looking for that paperwork; the most I had been able to fill out was April's name and her birthday. And even that I struggled with.

"Yeah?" I asked, pocketing my hands. "How is she?"

"We gave her a mild relaxant to keep her from…attacking the nurses," he said carefully. "She had a minor infection due to the condition of her wounds. Most of them should heal with minimum scarring; the burn on her cheek may leave a permanent scar, however."

I felt my hands clench and my eyes narrow. Those evil pricks were going to pay for what they did to my daughter. That scar would serve as a constant reminder of my hatred for them, and fuel my ambition to murder each and every one of those bastards that dared to harm my April.

"I want to see her." I demanded. "Right now."

"Mr. Stark…I don't think that is a good idea."

"I don't give a flying damn what you think is a good idea," I said simply. "She is my daughter and I want to fucking see her now."

Pepper came up to me and gently placed her hand on my forearm, but I lightly shrugged it off. There was no way I would be swayed on this. April wouldn't have been in this situation if it hadn't been for me. And if getting to her meant I had to go Iron Man on one of these limey doctors, then I would freaking do it!

"Tony," she said gently. "Let the doctor's work."

"They can work while I am in there, Pepper." I hissed, turning to round on the doctor. "You let me in there or I will find some _ludicrous_ reason to sue the Hell out of this hospital."

The doctor looked at Pepper and then back to me, obviously uncertain of who to believe. Really, I had no excuse to sue them…but I could always buy them out and make sure this quack had no job. I was NOT one to fuck with at the moment. Though, it seemed I would not need to make such a threat, as I was led down a corridor to a small room at the far end of the hall.

"This room is pitiful," I snapped. "Why isn't my daughter in a better room?"

"Mr. Stark, we are full up."

"I don't care, make a switch or something. My daughter has been through Hell and held hostage for about a week. I want her in a better damn room!"

"Tony…" a small voice croaked. "S-Stop…it's fine…"

I felt my heart restrict a bit, but I nodded. I didn't want to upset April; I knew that this was probably a large stress on her part. Still glaring at the doctor, I took my seat and gently reached out to take April's hand. I had to be careful though, there were so many tubes going into her arm that I was almost terrified I would yank one of them out in my carelessness.

"Are they taking good care of you?" I asked. "You aren't thirsty or cold are you?"

"I'm…as good as I can be." She sighed. "You don't have to keep fussing over me."

"I can't help it. It happens every now and again my kid gets kidnapped and beaten."

April sighed and looked away from me and I frowned. I couldn't help but feel that she was mad at me for some reason. I really hoped we weren't going to go back to the way we were. I had hoped that throughout all of this that we would be able to have a relationship now, but I knew better than to ask for that. I had left her for the past twelve years of her life. So that meant I would have to take up a new, undesirable, habit…patience.

"Do you want me to leave you alone?" I asked, carefully.

"No." she said quickly. "No…I like having you…I just, don't know what to really say right now. And the relaxant they gave me is really fucking with my mind."

I smirked; April did look out of it, but I knew she would get better. I just wished that we didn't have to be in this grimy hospital for it to happen. Maybe there would be a chance that I could take her home tonight, I had a private jet that could get us to Malibu in mere hours.

"Don't worry about saying anything," I said, taking her hand gently. "I can talk enough for the both of us."

"You're telling me." She teased, weakly. "When do I get to leave, I hate hospitals."

"We'll go home right now if you want," I said, firmly. "I have these doctors scared shitless, I'm sure they will do whatever I say."

"Tony," she whispered. "Life isn't always about scaring people into getting your way."

"Sure it is," I chuckled, my thumb running over her scarred fingers. "It's what made me the man I am today."

Her green eyes turned to me, slowly. "A brat?"

"I prefer to think of myself as a genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist." I said, my lips curling into a, subtle, smirk.

I watched as April smirked as well, and close her eyes briefly. I could tell that she was tired and probably fighting sleep. I hoped she wasn't doing so for me, I didn't want her to strain her body more than necessary. April needed all the strength she could muster, and me distracting her probably wasn't helping.

"Go to sleep, honey," I soothed. "I will be here when you wake up."

"Really?" she slurred.

"Really."

April's eyes fell closed once more, and I released her hand gently as her breathing calmed and she began to sleep. It was good to hear her say that she wanted me around, I knew that it was far more than I could ever hope or deserve. I knew that I would never take my father back if he had left me like I had left April, and really…he pretty much had. My father and I had never really spent quality time together and I realized that I had done the same thing to April. I liked to think that my motives were better though, that my want to keep her safe justified most of it. But then I looked at her, and realized that it hadn't. April had still gotten hurt, and it had been my fault regardless.

Leaning back into the chair beside her bed, I sighed. I was such a hypocrite, all my life I had resented my father for how he treated me and the lack of him around my home…and now I was doing the same thing to April. Could I be anymore fucked up?

"Tony," Pepper said, gently shaking my knee. "You are practically falling asleep, why don't you go and get yourself checked out? They'll give you your own room with a bed."

"I can't," I sighed, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. "I told April I would stay and be here when she woke up."

"I'll wake you up when she does, but you need to go and get yourself checked out." Pepper said sternly. "You look exhausted and you need a shower."

"Are you saying I smell bad?" I asked, looking up at her.

"No, I'm saying you smell like you have been wandering around a sewer."

I sighed, a shower would probably feel really good and I did stink. After I took one last look at April, I pulled myself up out of my chair and made my way to the door.

"Any chance I could convince you to join me, Miss Potts?" I smirked.

Pepper smiled back at me and took the seat I had just left open.

"I think you can at least handle washing your own back, Mr. Stark."

I pouted a bit and said, "You don't know that…I can't even remember my own Social Security number half the time."

"All the time.'

"Exactly."

"Tony," she chuckled. "No…now go bathe so you can get back to your daughter."

Smiling at her, I gently pressed my lips to hers and left the room. I knew that Pepper and I hadn't really agreed on being in a relationship, most of the time I was a bit of a man-whore. But I did hope she knew that deep in my heart I loved her and would always love her.

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**_(Please Read and Review, but no flames!)_**


	7. Rum and Coke

**_I have finally finished the seventh chapter after much re-writing and deleting. I had written this watching the Avengers and seeing Tony always puts me in the mood for this fanfic :). Sorry it took so long though, I swear I haven't forgotten the story, I just have been terribly stuck up until now. I hope you all enjoy the chapter and please read and review :)_  
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**Chapter Seven**

**_Tony_**

They finally gave us permission to take April home, though they were still a bit worried about how she would do in a plane. She was healing well, but the stress of the entire ordeal seemed to weigh heavily on her mind. The doctors had kept April for three days to monitor her and I, as a result, had chosen to stay with her as well. Needless to say, the nights did not go over well. April had nightmares and the doctors did not want to give her right of leave without assurring that these night terrors could be controlled. I had a feeling that if she could get away from London she would heal faster and more efficiently, expressing these thoughts to Pepper and the other quacks didn't seem to go as smoothly.

"She is my daughter and I am taking her home, Pepper," I said, packing up the clothes I had brought to the hospital. "And I am not arguing the matter further."

"Tony," she sighed. "I understand that you are protective of her but she is sick and the doctor's want to keep her here longer-

-and what? Poke and prod at her like she is a human pincushion? She is miserable here Pepper. She doesn't get to sleep because the doctors have her hooked up to all these fucking machines! If we take her home she can rest and feel safe...and I'll hire a better physician for her."

Pepper moved over to me and took my hands in her own. I was not able to stop myself from wanting to continue with the packing. April made me frantic and I wanted to fix all of this. It was all my fault to begin with. I had a beautiful daughter that had a wonderful life going for her. She was at the top of her class at Oxford and because of my vanity...my stupidity...I took it all away from her. Now she was battered, bruised, and sick...all from my doing. I wanted to fix April's life and make it up to her, I wanted to be there now that I had made her that promise, and I wanted her to know that daddy wasn't going to let anyone harm or threaten her again.

"I understand, Tony," Pepper whispered, gently. "You love her and want to keep her safe...that's what a good father does...but if she is sick, you cannot just fly her across the world and hope she will magically get better. THAT is unrealistic."

"No..." I said firmly, closing my traveling bag. "These doctor's methods are unrealistic. Pepper, I am asking you to support my first decision as a father...a _good_ father...please?"

She sighed, but nodded. I took that as my oppurtunity to go and check on April. The doctor's had taken her away for one more test and if it hadn't been for April's insistence on going alone, I would have been right by her side with them. Now we were just waiting for them to bring my child back so we could take my private jet to Malibu. We were locking the place down as soon as we returned home. I was not risking anyone coming to hurt my kid again, and if that meant...barring myself...inside for a couple of days, then so be it.

I waited for a couple minutes before I finally saw her come out of one of the rooms. She looked a bit pale, but I wasn't surprised. April was still fighting off a mild infection and the doctors said with her being under so much pressure and stress that her immune system wasn't doing the best to combat the illness. Another, obvious, reason I felt it would be a lot better to get April back to our home.

"Hello beautiful," I said smiling. "I have all of our things packed and a car waiting to take us to the airport."

April looked up at me and I noticed that her eyes were a bit glassy. I frowned, feeling worried once more, and gently pulled her towards me so that she could lean against me and I could just hold her. It felt so good to have her in my arms and a bit strange that she wasn't shoving me or fighting me off. I looked back down at her again and my frown deepened.

"What the fuck did you give her?" I snapped, looking up. "She's practically comatose!"

"Mr. Stark, please calm down," One of the physicians said. "Your daughter was going into a panic when we asked to examine her injuries, we just gave her a mild sedative to calm her down. She will be back to her violent self in no time."

I moved foward to slam my fist into the doctor's head, but felt a cold hand tug me back. April was shaking her head at me. Clearly she wasn't as high as I had thought she had been. Grumbling some obscenities towards the doctor, I picked up our bags and ushered April out to my driver and into the backseat of a Porsche.

"Peps," I said. "There's room back here with us."

"I'm fine Tony," she said, smiling gently. "I'd rather sit up front anyway."

"I'll try not to take it personally," I smirked. "I showered though...so...I smell fairly good."

"Fairly good?" she chuckled. "That makes it sound so tempting."

Smirking, I wrapped an arm around April and gently tugged her to rest her head against me. She was so quiet and I wasn't used to it. I would almost rather her yell at me and call me a sardonic douche bag, then to have to watch her doped up on whatever it was the doctors had chosen to poison her with. God, now I understood why April hated hospitals so much...those pricks felt like they knew EVERYTHING.

"Mmm..." April grumbled. "M'sleepy..."

"I know princess," I said softly. "It's okay...go to sleep...we'll be home before you know it."

I took my hands through her hair gently and closed my eyes as well. This moment was one I would hold onto forever. When April and I got into another fight and she told me that I was the worst fucking father ever, I would just go here and remember that there was a time where April seemed to love me...or maybe that was the drugs. Ugh...the moment...just need to remember this moment.

* * *

The ride to the plane had gone smoothly, and I could tell that April was starting to come back to her normal self. Especially since she wouldn't let me hold or snuggle her anymore. I tried to keep my chin high, but it really hurt. I would walk through fire for my kid and although I understood why she didn't think me worthy of being my father, it still hurt like Hell .

"Would you like anything, Miss Stark?" I heard a Stewardess ask.

"Rum and coke..." she grumbled.

"And by rum and coke, she means gingerale," I said giving her a stern look. "She doesn't get alcohol right now."

I felt Pepper turn and cast a glare my way.

"Herm...or ever...until she is legal...or...something," I cleared my throat and looked at Pepper. "Woman, please, I'm still new at this whole "law abidiing" thing."

I could tell that Pepper wasn't amused and with a sigh of partial defeat, I chose to take my seat in front of April. She looked hung over, with her head resting in the palm of her hand, and tangled locks of red hair falling in front of her sullen face. I could see the scar on her cheek more vividly now. It still looked as though it was festering against her skin and each time I saw it I was reminded of my vendetta and how I had made a personal vow to make those bastards that had taken us pay for their crimes.

"How are you feeling?" I asked gently.

"How does it look?" she sighed.

"How does what look?"

"Don't play dumb," she growled. "The scar...the ugly blister they left on my face...how does it look?"

"April...you are beautiful-

-They wouldn't let me really look at it with a mirror...is it really that gross?"

"What? Of course not!"

She sighed, apparently not convinved, and turned her face away from me. I didn't know what she wanted me to say. I wasn't going to say she was ugly, because she wasn't, and I wasn't going to say the blister affected her looks in the slightest, because it didn't. April was just at a point where she wanted to feel sorry for herself. All human's reached this low once in their life, I know I had multiple times, but I refused to let April believe that anyone would indulge her in it. She was gorgeous and a Stark...it was time she started acting like one.

"Hey," I said, gently guiding her face back towards mine. "I am not having that. You are a beautiful young lady and I refuse to sit here and let you feel sorry for yourself. This was tragic...but it is over now...now all you need to do is heal and focus on what happens next. Are you going to let those punks have the satisfaction of knowing they brought you down?"

"Yes..."

"No," he smirked. "No, because that would be too easy for you. You want them to know that they didn't affect us. That THIS whole thing is nothing more than just a memory and we are going to go home and be happy. Because nothing will piss them off more than to know that they lost two of the smartest and greatest fucking people in the world."

I saw April's lips curl into a tiny smile and she looked down at her hands. The old Stark blood ran deep...and nothing got me going more than a good ol' fashion pep talk. Especially when it involved boosting our confidences, people thought I was arrogant...the truth was I was just confident. I knew I was brilliant and because I knew that it meant I could help the world more than a non-brilliant person ever could.

"Tony...-

-Shh...don't ruin my speech." I said, gently pressing my hand over her mouth. "Just enjoy it...because I know that you know I am right. I'm Tony Stark...I'm always right."

I smiled as her green eyes rolled and she gently pushed my hand down. It was good to see her be normal again. She was behaving like her sarcastic self and that made my day more worthwhile. She would get past this because she was strong...much stronger than me or anyone I ever knew.

"Thanks, Tony," she said gently. "That strangely...made me feel better."

"Well that's my job." I smirked.

"To be strange?"

"Well...that...but to also make you feel better. I love you, April."

I waited for April to say something back...anything...but she actually just stared ahead. Had I said it wrong? Did it sound unsincere...or...or did April just really not love me back? I was starting to feel a knot form in my stomach. I could not handle if she admitted to not loving me...perhaps she just hadn't heard me? But if she did and I said it again I might sound pushy. God, why wasn't there a manual on being a dad. Everything needed to come with instructions...maybe there was a Dummie's Guide to Being a Daddy.

"April...-

-I love you too." she said, turning to look at me.

Smiling, I gently draped my arm around April's shoulders and sighed. Things were going to go a lot smoother now, I just knew they were. And if they didn't...we would be fucked, because I wasn't sure how much more April or Pepper could handle before they just broke in half under the pressure. One would think because I loved them I would try to spare them all of that...but I guess what everyone says about me is right, I'm just too damn selfish.

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	8. Shoot to Thrill

**_Hey everyone, I finished chapter eight and am currently working on chapter nine. This chapter was a bit more difficult to write as I kept looking up alloys and metal properties for Tony's suit...yeah...I am no engineer or science major, so be kind when reviewing my Iron Man making expertise :). _  
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**Chapter Eight**

**_April_**

It was good to be back in Malibu, I was atually surprised at how relieved I was to be away from England. I didn't realize till now that the sun shined a lot more in the states. Or that the environment didn't depress me quite as much as the grey skyline of London did. The only problem was the fact that I was missing a ton of school and I wasn't sure how much longer my professor would accept my excuses. Tony said that he was going to take care of it, but I was worried that it wouldn't be enough. My father didn't exactly realize that not everyone in the world liked him as much as the women in Malibu did.

"Jarvis," I said from the living room table. "I need you to contact my professor's at Oxford...tell them that I will be transferring colleges and I would appreciate it if they would write me a couple reccomendations."

"Of course Miss Stark," the polite, electronic, butler chimed. "Do you have the Universities you would like the reccomendations sent to? Perhaps you should ask your father to write one-

-no...I do not want to be accepted to an ivy league school based on my father's merit. I want this to be done through my own accomplishments."

"I assume you would like to attend an Ivy League school, Miss Stark?"

"I will accept nothing less, Jarvis."

"There aren't many in Malibu."

I sighed softly and sat down on the edge of the sofa. I really didn't want to end up having to fly or drive myself back to Tony's house each night. I decided that although I was more than capable of succeeding in an Ivy League school, I would have to settle for something a bit lower. I don't know what was possessing me to sacrifice my education for Tony...but something told me that I just wouldn't feel at home on another campus ever again.

"Perhaps your father could-

-Jarvis...what did I say? I want to do this on my own."

"I was just going to say that he could hire you a personal professor from one of the universities, Miss Stark."

I sighed, I supposed that wasn't relying too heavily on my father. It was really my intellect that would have to keep the Professor around. I guess I could allow him to help, if he was willing to that was. At the moment he seemed very distracted with his Iron Man escapades. I suppose I shouldn't be terribly surprised, he WAS looked at as a super hero after all.

"Alright Jarvis," I said. "I'll talk to my dad. Where is he by the way?"

"Him and Miss Potts are getting ready for the Stark Expo in New York, Miss Stark."

I felt my eyes darken a bit and I looked up in anger. My father was such an asshole! He had told Pepper and myself that we were staying in the house for at least a week! And now we haven't even been back for two days and my father was all ready to hold a fucking expo! And as if to add to the audacity, he hadn't even told me or informed me about it. No...this was NOT happening. If they were having a fucking expo party, then I was going to crash it.

"Jarvis..." I said. "My father has a spare Iron Man suit downstairs doesn't he?"

"That information is confidential, Miss Stark."

"Jarvis..." I growled. "I will rewire you to the point you are nothing but a fucking calculater...answer the question now."

"Yes Miss Stark," he said. "Your father's first prototype of the suit is downstairs in the lab."

I smirked and pulled out my laptop. Well...If I was to be my father's successor, it would appear that I would have to become involved in the family's business. That included the_ superhero_ business. With my father's original designs, I could modify certain aspects of the suit so that it would hold the feminine physique. I could improve the weapons systems and make it lighter for faster flight patterns...I could show that narcissistic bastard up at his own expo...oh yes...this would be a wonderful science project.

"Miss Stark..." Jarvis said, his electronic voice sounding slightly hushed. "Might I make a suggestion?"

"I suppose, Jarvis."

"Miss Potts and Mr. Stark have a dinner in Paris planned tonight-

-Jarvis, I love you."

Smiling I grabbed my cell phone, lap top, and sketch book. I would get the suit modified tonight and test the flight pattern before Pepper and my father got back. I knew that they would spend the night there. My father could not resist showing off his private jet and iron apendages. So while they were in Paris I could work through the night on the suit and hopefully have most of it done before they returned. I could hack Tony's computers to get all of the original schematics and, hopefully, he had recorded all of his tests with the first suit.

"Jarvis, get ready for an all nighter."

"Of course Miss Stark."

* * *

My father seemed a bit hesitant to leave for his date, despite the fact that he had not planned to inform me of it regardless. He kept touching my face and checking my temperature, like I was some kind of medical time bomb about to go off. It was a little heart warming at first, but now it was mostly annoying.

"Tony!" I whined. "God, I'm fine...please go?"

"Why are you trying to get rid of me?" he asked, cocking his eyebrow. "Do you have a wild party planned?"

"Is it so wrong for me to want some private time?" I sighed. "You've been stuck to my ass since we got back from London."

"Oh, so you are just sick of me?"

"Exactly." I smirked.

"Thank God," he said, kissing my forehead. "I thought you were going to hold a wild orgy while we were gone. We'll be back tomorrow morning, don't wait up."

"Didn't plan to."

Tony smirked and with a final pinch of my cheeks he left to meet Pepper in the garage. Releasing a sigh of relief, I decided to get started with the suit as soon as possible. I was still debating mentally what color I should paint it. Hot rod red and gold seemed nice...but I was more of a silver person. So maybe I would keep the red and just change the trim. I was so excited! I felt like I was finally sharing something with my dad...despite the fact that he wasn't around to share in the moment...and he would probably be really pissed when he found out at the expo...okay, so maybe this moment was more or less just for me.

I got to the keypad that unlocked my father's lab door and typed it in before entering. It was like a technological candy land. I didn't know where to start, and then I remembered that I had a goal here and I needed to focus.

"Jarvis?" I called. "You awake?"

"Always, Miss Stark."

"Good...we need some work music."

I smiled as Shoot to Thrill sounded over the intercom and with a shake of my hips I began pulling up files on Tony's computer. Boy, this was going to be easier than I thought it was. All of his Iron Man files were, obviously, encrypted. Pulling the screen up away from the desk, I plugged my new phone into the desktop and began sending my codes through the system so I could gain access. Dad had been right, the firewall would just continue reconfiguring each time you passed through it...so all that left me was the option of going through each key to hopefully hit one of his codes.

"Jarvis, bring out the prototype suit."

I turned as I heard the hiss of a metallic door and frowned when the silver suit was brought out. This was going to be a lot of work. The prototype seemed scratched and banged up from my dad's first test run. I didn't have the raw materials on hand, so I was just going to have to try my best to make this look as new as possible. If I could afford to I would deplete my own funds to make a new one...oh well... one must do with what one has, I suppose.

"Miss Stark, I may need to inform you that for your father's first flight in the Mark I the suit did not resist the frigid temperatures of space."

"No, I had a feeling it wouldn't," I said. "Jarvis...Platinum Sterling would be a wonderful substitiute don't you think? Light weight, doesn't tarnish easily..."

"It is far too thin, Miss Stark...for what you make up in mobility you lose in practicallity. A bullet would pierce through it far too easily."

I sighed and moved around the lab, my eyes looking up and down at the suit. I wasn't building this to withstand battle...a couple canons and with the more lucid movements I could avoid bullets and attacks easier. My father looked like a bumbling idiot when he fought because the suit weighed him down so much...with a lighter more maleable metal, agility would become a new advantage that he didn't have the ability to tap into.

"We must make sacrifices Jarvis...we will use Platinum Sterling for the armor."

"Shall I have it shipped here overnight..."

"I need it here in no less than an hour."

"Very well Miss Stark."

* * *

I didn't know how long I had been working...and my hands were lagging as I began putting the finishing touches on the suit. I needed to test it's durability during flight and the hand canon's...not to mention the various sensors I was using for aiming and combat. I felt like I was so close and yet so far away.

"Miss Stark, you should head to bed before your father returns."

"I need to run a basic flight simulation, Jarvis."

"You are not capable to fly the suit being as exhausted as you are."

I took a final look at the suit and sighed with longing. It shimmered beautifully in the dim light, and the red paint almost made my heart beat twice as fast. It was considerably smaller than my father's, mostly because I was, and it was definitely more form fitting. All of these attributes would make me faster and far more airodynamic. God, I wanted to fly it so bad...I wonder if dad had felt the same way after he completed his second suit.

"Shall I put the suit away, Miss Stark?"

Even though I wanted to argue with him, I knew that he was right. I would most likely fall asleep while flying and slam into a wall or one of Tony's cars. It was best to just put the suit away for the night and revisit it when him and Pepper were out again. Smiling, I gently ran my hand over the suit once more before Jarvis hid it away...if it didn't make my father proud, it would do one Hell of a job when it came to pissing him off.

"Goodnight Jarvis."

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	9. We'll Always Have Paris

**_Just like I promised, chapter nine is up :). I'm debating on whether or not I am going to go straight to the Expo with chapter ten or if I am just going to kind of coax to it with April secretly testing her suit while Tony is dealing with his illness :(, _****_any who, if you guys have a preference just let me know in your reviews! :)_**

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**Chapter Nine**

**_Tony_**

After the ordeal Pepper had to go through with my captivity, I thought she deserved some kind of treat. Granted, even though some would consider a trip to Paris over the top, I thought it was the perfect "thank you" present for having to deal with my bullshit day in and day out. So I made reservations at one of the most expensive restaurants Jarvis could find. It wasn't enough...to me nothing would ever be enough for Pepper. I wanted to make her as happy as I could but I knew I failed miserably at it. Just like I did with April. I was not capable of giving any of the women in my life what they wanted...well at least not the one's that mattered. When it came to the ones that had just wanted sex, they were easily pleased.

I felt a bit uncertain of leaving April in Malibu by herself, but this time I took the percautions I needed to to make sure she would be safe while I was gone. I had set up as much security as I could and even had the suit ready for an automatic attack if anyone came into the home uninvited. She would be fine and she had my cell phone number just in case anything absolutely terrible happened. Rhodey was also on watch as well, a personal favor he owed me. April was more guarded than the supposed gold at Fort Nox.

"This is beautiful Tony," Pepper said to me from across the dinner table. "Everything is just...beautiful."

I smiled and poured Pepper some more wine. Everything was beautiful, especially her. She had wore her hair down for me in a river of loose curls. And her beautiful blue eyes sparkled in the warm candlelight. If this was anymore perfect it would appear on Lifetime. Gently, I reached over and took her hand into my own.

"You look wonderful," I said, my fingers running over hers. "Is that dress another birthday present from me?"

"Yes, actually," she smiled. "You have wonderful taste, what can I say?"

Chuckling I took a sip from my wine. This woman meant more to me than words could ever express. I wanted to say that I loved her...because I did...but I was terrified of it almost. I was terrified that if I admitted to loving her she would end up just as April had. Those men that had taken us knew that I had loved my daughter and they used that love as my own form of weakness. I was not ashamed to love my child but I was ashamed that I had let that love cause her pain.

"Are you sure April is okay? You didn't exactly give her much notice when it came to us leaving the country."

"She was practically trying to kick me out of the house when I told her," I smirked. "She's probably having a party. It's what I would have done at her age."

"And you are okay with that?"

"Well...better at my house where she is safe then with some messed up douche bag."

"But what if she invites some messed up douche bag, Tony?"

"Rhodey will be there to keep an eye on her if it gets too out of hand. Pepper, you have to relax. How much trouble could she possibly get into?"

We sat there in silence for a couple of moments and my mind began to reel. I realized just how little I knew about my daughter once more. Did she ever do drugs? Did she like to throw parties like I did as a teenager? I didn't hear much about her on the news, but then again, her home was probably more structured than mine had been. I could trust her with something as simple as being home alone for one night.

"Tony...you do realize she is your kid right?" Pepper asked. "That means when we go back there might not be a house left."

"Oh stop, Pepper," I smiled. "I have three other houses anyway...we don't have to worry about it."

"Tony, you need to be more responsible. Just because you have more than one house doesn't mean that you should let April destroy or ransack the one that we are currently living in."

"Pepper, would you relax, I brought you on this date so we could spend some time together. Not to discuss whether or not my daughter is blowing up my home."

"Tony you are missing the point-

-I am not missing the point. I am giving my daughter what my father would have given me at that age, trust."

"Tony, it wasn't trust that your father gave you...and you know that."

I felt my face go cold a bit and I fell silent. I didn't like when Pepper brought up the negative aspects of my father. I knew who he was and who he had been...and maybe it was a bit strange for me to replace negative words that I used to describe him with new positive ones. But that was me...and it was the only way I could cope with it. Sighing, I began playing with the bottom of my wine glass. I felt a bit upset with Pepper's comment...and now I felt even more guilty about leaving April home alone. I didn't want to be like my father, and although I knew that April resented me...I really didn't want to die and leave her with the anger my father had left me.

"I can always text April and check on her..." I said with a grumble. "Since you don't trust her as much as I do."

"Tony, that is not what I meant and you know it!"

"Why are you trying to take from our romantic evening, Pepper?" I asked. "April isn't a baby anymore...there are certain things a seventeen year old can handle...one of those things should be staying home alone, right?"

"But not all seventeen year old girls have a father that proclaimed himself to be Iron Man! You need to think about every decision you make now, Tony. Every single decision affects April and if you love her as much as you claim you do then you will realize that!"

"Pepper, I get that!" I snapped. "I get that everything I do will change April's life, but I can't just stop living! I can't stay in the house with her every moment of every day, even though I would like to! I know that you want us to get back to...to where we had been when April was four, but that "perfect" daddy phase is long gone and I have no hope of getting it back."

I frowned as Pepper stood and took my hands through my hair. Great...a date night that was supposed to get me laid would have me spending the night on the sofa. April was grounded...she was just totally grounded when we came back. I would figure out a proper excuse in the morning, but as of right now her liberties were gone...I almost hoped she did throw a party...that would be more appropriate than just saying "you cock blocked your father".

Pepper dropped something in front of me on the table as she stormed away and I sighed once more. This night was just a total waste of energy. Next time I would just have date night in the house, that way everyone would be happy. But then again, Pepper would probably refuse me sex and say that it would somehow traumatize April to hear her father getting it on. Eh, she might have been right. Walking in on your dad getting busy was fairly nasty business.

I glanced at the object that Pepper had left on the table and frowned slightly. It was an old polaroid picture of April and myself. She was resting on my shoulders with a big grin on her tiny face. Pepper had done her hair that day, but April had insisted on wearing it down. So the french braids that Pepper had said looked so adorable on April had been undone, leaving nothing but a lovely head of auburn waves.

"Daddy...hold me, daddy!" she used to say. "Daddy, I love you best of all daddy..."

I smiled sadly and felt tears swell in my eyes as I held the picture gently in my hands. I had given up so much when I let her go. No...no, I threw it away...like it meant nothing. My daughter wasn't this little girl that thought daddy could do no wrong. And that was entirely my fault. If I had kept April with me, we both might have been better for it. Iron Man might not even exist because I would not have risked going to the Middle East...we would live a happier life together...a more normal life.

"Mr. Stark...are you ready to order?"

My eyes closed quickly and I moved my hand over them to hide whatever remanants of tears had been left behind. Making sure my voice was steady before I opened my mouth, I shook my head.

"Actually...can you...just skip dinner and bring me something for dessert...to go," I said quickly. "Something expensive with chocolate...thanks."

The waiter left me alone at the table and I took out my cell phone. I ran my hand through my hair again and then continued to scroll down the contacts until I reached the picture I had of April. I hit "call" and waited for her to pick up. The phone rang and rang but there was no answer. And I groaned a bit as I was directed to her voice mail.

"Hey, you've reached April...leave a message."

"April, hey, it's your dad," I said a bit awkwardly. "Just checking in on you dear heart...um...if you need anything just call me...Pepper and I will come home right away. Okay...well...love you, kiddo. Behave."

I hung up...but still held the phone in my hands. Her not answering had me a bit nervous, but I knew that she was protected. Rhodey could handle April and keep her safe, I wouldn't have trusted him with the job if I didn't think he was inompetant. Maybe I could text her...that might have some more positive results.

'R u there?'

I waited a couple minutes and still had nothing...okay...so now I was starting to get very worried about her. Why wasn't she answering her damn cell phone?! I had bought her that new thing under the impression that she would actually use it!

'Kinda, why? Did you screw up your date?'

'This isn't about me, I called you, why didn't you answer?'

'Ooh...that's a giant yes. You cock blocked yourself talking about Iron Man, didn't you?'

'April...why didn't you answer your phone?'

'I was having wild sex.'

'Gross.'

'Don't be jealous'

'Seriously...gross.'

'Go find your own bed buddy dad, I'm busy. I'll talk to you when you and Pepper get back to Malbu.'

'April that's just gross'

' :) '

Smirking, I pocketed the phone and waited for the waiter to bring me Pepper's dessert. April really was the female version of me. I could only hope that she wouldn't make my mistakes. She needed to go to school, get a good job, marry...as soon as I found a guy worthy of her time...and live happily ever after. That's what my princess deserved...but...knowing April, it probably wouldn't happen that way. Her determination would have her moving the company farther then I could ever get it to go. The only problem with success was the fact that even after everything was said and done, a person really had nothing to be proud of without a family to stand behind them.

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**_(Please Read and Review, but no flames!)_**


	10. Another Thing Coming

_**Sorry for the long long long wait for this chapter guys. I've been super busy with school and other engagements. But here's the 10th chapter and I hope you all like it. I'm starting the next chapter right away today and I have a real Iron Man craving going on right now, so I should have it complete before the day is out. Please Read and Review :D**_

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**__****Chapter Ten**

**_April_**

Tony and Pepper still weren't back from Paris yet, but I wasn't complaining. As a matter of fact, I was perfectly happy with them being gone. I had gotten about five hours of sleep before Jarvis would let me back into the lab. We ran over the diagnostics of the suit once more and then it was finally ready! I smiled widely and moved into the center of the room.

"Miss Stark, are you sure you want to test the suit so close to when your father and Miss Potts will return?"

"Jarvis, if I don't test it now I will be unprepared at the Expo. Suit up."

Once again the hiss of machines sounded around me and I held still as the suit began to fit to my body. Even while Dummie and the other robots positioned the armor over my limbs I was unable to contain my excitement. This was really happening! I was going to get to fly without an airplane. I was currently living every kid's dream! As the metal mask closed over my face I breathed slowly and watched as the interative sensors activated. I could see the garage and a blue schematic of outside; the picture was clearer than it had ever been.

"Jarvis, can you hear me?"

"Impeccably, Miss Stark."

"Beautiful...okay, let's fire this baby up."

My arms lowered to my sides and I felt my feet lift off the ground as the thusters turned on. Yelling with excitement I shot out of the garage and barrelled out into the sky. Everything was so clear and close to me right now! It was just absolutely brilliant! I felt like I could rest on a cloud if I slowed down enough. Holding my arms out, I spun around and laughed loudly as I watched the bright orange sun come into view. I suppose the one great thing about dad announcing he was Iron Man was the fact that no one would ever guess it was me flying around the city like a total idiot.

"Jarvis, this thing is great!"

"Although I am glad to hear you are enjoying yourself, Miss Stark," Jarvis said. "I think you would take interest in knowing that your father is only twenty minutes from the house."

"Shit!"

Straightening up I shot back towards the house and barrelled into the garage. My entrance would have been perfect, but one of Tony's cars got in the way and I had to turn sharp to miss it. My body skidded against the hard pavement only to stop when I slammed into an adjacent wall. I cursed loudly as my head banged hard against the thick concrete and caused my ears to ring. Fuck, I was going to have the world's largest goose-egg on my head. However, despite the growing concussion, I was able to groggily stand and rush to the landing pad I was SUPPOSED to stop on.

"Jarvis get this thing off...hurry, hurry, hurry!" I hissed.

Mechanical arms began pulling the armor off of me and I bounced a little bit, impatiently, as I continued to look around the garage and see if my father was going to appear out of thin air. If he figured out that I had made a suit, my entire plan would be completely ruined. This was meant to show him up, but not before I was able to get it to the Expo...and with that large dent that had formed on my helmet, I was going to have to bang that out before I could use the suit again.

As soon as the suit was off, I moved back to the computer and began typing in the codes to lock my metal marvel up. My blood was pumping hard through my body and I could hear my heartbeat in my inner ear...or that could just be the thump of this new headache I had brought on. I hoped it wouldn't leave a bruise...then I would have to come up with some story as to how I hurt myself. I suppose I could say I just walked into a wall...or tripped down some stairs...or I could blame it on dummie...I'd figure it out when the time came.

Just as I finished locking up the schematics for the Iron WOman suit on my phone, dad and Pepper began making their way down into the lab. The suit was put away and for the most part the lab was back in its original order...it might have been a bit cleaner even. Knowing my dad that would probably be enough to irritate him, even his dirt had a proper place down here.

"Pepper, I said sorry," he whined. "I don't understand why you are still mad!"

"Because you are the horniest, most arrogant, pain in the-

-ass?" I smirked. "How long did it take for you to figure that out?"

"You are not helping!" Tony snapped. "I was behaving the entire trip!"

"Asking me to join the mile high club does NOT count as behaving!" Pepper laughed.

"Ewe...why would you want to join that club?" I gagged. "You both are so gross. Can we talk about something other than how dad got cock blocked...herm...again."

I felt Tony's eyes on me and could not resist flashing him my most smug smile. He was just so much fun to screw with. Really...I knew that I could get away with a lot but that did not stop me from constantly pushing my boundaries. I was always hoping to get Tony to fall off the deep end. My next tactical plan to piss him off involved a large rave in the house. However, that would happen after the Expo, at least then I could show off the suit more to the public.

"What have you been doing?" he asked suddenly, his eyes running over my face.

"Nothing...just researching schools...and stuff..."

"Mmm, really?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "You get that kind of shiner from research?"

"Well...it is called _hitting_ the books, Tony." I rebutted snottily.

I could almost sense the anger in Tony's eyebrow as he raised it and prepared to say something. Only he was cut short as his cell phone rang and he dismissed himself to go answer it. Sighing softly I turned to Pepper and blushed slightly when I realized that she was staring at me as well. Hiding something from Tony was easier than hiding something from his girlfriend. It might be because Pepper and I had this strange bond between us. We were the two gingers in my father's life that kept having to clean up after all his bullshit. Her moreso then me it seemed.

"What?" I asked when her eyes became too much for me.

"Where did you _really_ get that bruise, April?"

"I just walked into a wall, Peps," I sighed. "I was texting and didn't see it."

Her blue eyes pierced into mine and I knew she did not believe me. If she ratted me out to Tony I would never be able to forgive her. I needed this moment of revenge on both of them so to speak. I didn't get an invitation to this Expo, so I was left with nothing but to assume that dear old dad and his bed buddy were going to leave me while they had all their fun socializing. I liked Rhodey and all but his company got severely boring after a while.

"I know that you are up to something April," she said softly. "I'm asking you as your friend to give up on it if it's too dangerous. I don't want you getting hurt."

I found myself suddenly feeling bad about lying to Pepper. Of all the people in my life right now she probably was the one that deserved the truth the most. It wasn't dad that picked out and mailed my birthday presents, I knew that much. I knew that it was Pepper that had sent me a necklace and tried to forge my dad's signature on the card. She wanted us to have a relationship more than anything in the world and was ironically the one that had to deal with both of our bad attitudes for it.

"Alright..." I said softly. "If it gets to that point, I'll let it go...promise..."

Pepper smiled warmly and ran her hand down my hair before disappearing upstairs. It was strange...I felt this sort of pang in my stomach as she left...almost like I wanted to tell her my secret. But then I realized that in Pepper's mind this entire thing might count as dangerous. I really didn't want her getting angry at me for breaking my promise...but I DID want the satisfaction of pissing Tony off when I go to the Expo and piss him off.

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Dad had pretty much locked himself in his lab for most of the night and I had to convince Jarvis to let me in for even a moment. I was worried my dad would find my creation and that everything would be ruined. So I did my best to do what any daughter would probably due in this situation. Annoyed the Hell out of him and tried to piss him off.

"Tony, Tony, Tony, Tony, Tony, Tony-

-WHAT?!" he snapped, turning. "For the love of God April what is it?! You have been saying my name for the past thirty minutes! How have you not suffocated from the lack of oxygen that is getting into your body?!"

"Geez...I was just going to say hi," I smirked. "God are you on your period or something?"

The glare was so priceless and cold that I am sure dad whished he had installed a freezer ray into his retinas. I couldn't resist laughing though. Getting his goat was one of the best hobbies I could have ever taken up moving to Malibu. In a way I kind of owed it to him, he wasn't around to REALLY enjoy my younger years. I had a lot of time to make up for when it came to pissing him off.

"You need to get a freaking boyfriend." he grumbled.

"Ooh, good idea!" I smiled. "Then I can grace these walls with the wonderful sounds of intercourse! Oooh! Oooh! Yes! Yes, harder!"

Tony turned to give me another scary look and I cleared my throat and fell silent. I wanted to irritate and distract him, not prompt him to commit some form of creative murder. He raised his eyebrow at me and then turned back to his work. Clearly he felt that he had done an efficient job of silencing me... pshh...yeah, right. Gently pocketing my cell phone I walked over to Tony and glanced over his shoulder.

"What are you working on? Can I help? What's that button do?"

"April..." he sighed. "Is there a reason you are so clingy today?"

"Mmm...not really...just the extreme satisfaction of seeing that vein in your temple throb. You might want to be careful, it could be the start of a tumor."

"YOU are the only tumor I am having to deal with right now."

I did my best to pout and act like I was hurt by his comment, but I knew I deserved it. I was probably going to cause Tony to have a stroke but I really wanted to prevent him from digging too deep in his lab. I had encrypted the files and worked extra hard to hide them but there was no way I could gaurantee that Tony wouldn't find them. His mind was always working, always calculating, as much as I hated to admit it my father was a genius.

"Let's go...do something?" I suggested, when I saw him going to his computer.

"I can't, I'm working."

"Yeah, what else is new...c'mon, you spent time with Pepper now you should spend time with me."

"April, I am serious...I need to get this work done!" he snapped. "Why don't you go and entertain yourself. Take a car or something, do whatever the Hell you want, just get OUT of my hair!"

Wow...that actually...hurt a lot. I felt myself frown and my heart ached. He didn't want to spend time with me? He had been away with Pepper for a couple days...but spending a couple hours with me was too much? I knew this would happen in a way...all his promises were going to fall flat and he was going to grow tired of me. I wasn't scared about him throwing me out...why should I be? He didn't have a damn reason to take interest in me and now his true colors were shining through. My chin quivered and I looked away.

"April..." he said more gently. "I'm so-"

"Fuck you..." I hissed, standing and storming out of the lab.

I was doing exactly as he wanted. I was going to go out and entertain myself. And that included taking his most expensive car and finding a bar that would serve me alcohol. Being Tony Stark's daughter I doubted anyone would dare to refuse me. And if my dad thought I was going to be using my own funds for this little outting...ohh...he had another thing coming!

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	11. Perfect Timing

_**Chapter Eleven is up :) this one was just really funny and fun to write. I hope you all enjoy it and review!**_

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**Chapter Eleven**

**_Tony_**

I screwed up, I didn't even need Pepper there to give me a look to tell me that I screwed up. And the worse part is I screwed up and gave an angry teenager permission to drive one of my very expensive sports cars. This night was going to end very badly for the both of us. If April damaged one of my cars I would break her behind...and if I let April be damaged because of my stupidity, Pepper would break mine. It was a real lose lose kind of battle, but I knew tha tin the end it would be me that would have to apologize. Ewe...I hated that word...I truly did...but I knew that when it came to April I owed her quite a bit of them. Maybe while on my death bed I would finally get through all of them.

Turning off my computer I sighed and went upstairs. I knew exactly where April would be, all of my cars had a tracker in them after all. I decided that it would probably be best for me to wait for her to cool off before I made an effort to try and bring her back. If April was anything like her old man, and I knew she was, I knew that she would try to kick my ass. _Try;_ and I would have to let her seeing as I would die before raising a hand to my child.

So I waited an hour before having Jarvis track the car. I must admit that I should have been a little more surprised when I saw that she had driven off to a night club, but I wasn't. She was my daughter after all and I knew that I would have probably gone to a club myself...it would have been a strip club, but to each his own.

"Jarvis...let's keep this trip to ourselves..." I said as I went to get my own car. "I don't want Pepper trying to saw my nads off."

"Of course sir."

The drive to the club was quick as I wasn't really paying much attention to the speed signs. As I drove my mind began to reel. Rape drugs, boys, alcohol, boys, loud music, BOYS. God, April was like an open target, especially because she wasn't really familiar with American boys. It had been the biggest dumbass move to insist that she go and find a way to entertain herself. I should have made her sit by my feet with a damn coloring book, like I used to when she was four!

The music was blaring and terrible in my opinion and there was a line. Moving my way to the front, I removed my sunglasses and gave the bouncer a menacing look. He looked over his list and I sighed in frustration. Really? What club didn't have Tony Stark on its list? If my daughter was able to get in then I sure as Hell was going to get in.

"Name?" he asked.

"Seriously?" I snorted. "Tony Stark."

"Tony...S...wait...Tony Stark?" his eyes widened. "Sorry man, I didn't recognize you."

"It happens...now can you let me in?"

"Um...actually there's a bit of a problem," he said flexing his muscles. "See...I let your daughter in earlier and she paid me six hundred up front to keep you out."

Oooh...well played April Olivia...I would have probably done the same thing to my old man if I thought he loved me enough to actually chase after me. I looked up at the buffed musclehead and crossed my arms over my chest. He better not make me leave this line...or I would come back and Iron Man would crash this freaking party.

"Okay..." I said with a smirk. "We can do this one of two ways. One...you let me in here and there's no problem and I let you keep the six hundred dollars my daughter no doubt stole from my bank account. Or... you throw me out of this line, I go get my Iron Man Suit, and I feed you your teeth. Your choice."

I watched in satisfaction as he moved so that I could push the door open and enter.

"Good choice." I said after letting the door close behind me.

The music was so damn loud that you couldn't even think and the lights were practically blinding as I made my way through the crowd of people. All the lights flashing in front of my eyes was driving me mad and they were so bright that I couldn't make out which girl was April. I hoped to God that April chose to wear something less...revealing...for this venture but I knew much better than to assume such a thing.

After pushing past a sea of drunken teens and doped up idiots, I managed to get to the bar. Big surprise...April was not far off downing shot after shot of tequila. Hmm...turned out she had her dad's choice of drink pegged as well. It wasn't really a drink I used for happy occasions...no...it was my "feel sorry for myself" drink...and it appeared it was April's as well. She seemed to handle it just like I did too. She was a partier to the end.

"Gimme another!" she laughed loudly. "Daddy's payin!"

Clearly April was feeling charitable as she was buying rounds for a new group of friends. God, if she was anymore like me I might have to go and throw up. She was even wearing sunglasses. How could this had happened? I made a promise that she would not end up like her old man and here she was the spitting image of her dad. Pepper was going to kill me. Slipping into the crowd, I took April by the arm and gently guided her to the bar.

"Hey buddy!" she slurred. "Hands off! I'll kick y-your arse!"

I couldn't help but smile a bit as a vague hint of an english accent came out of my baby's mouth as she tried to yell at me. I gave her a look and watched as her look of shock turned to one of anger. Yeah, no matter how drunk she got she would probably still be mad at me. April's temper was pretty consistent when it came to me.

"Yooouu!" she hissed. "Where da fuck did you come from?"

"Well...some would say heaven...but the more credible response is probably the fact that I keep a tracker in all my cars."

"Paranoid...son of a bitch..." she grumbled. "I jus did what YOOOOU told me ta do."

"Um, technically I did NOT tell you to go get fucked in a strange night club."

"Never said I couldn't..." she motioned to the bartender. "Nother."

"She's done." I snapped slamming my hand on the bar. "No more drinks for her or her fucking gaggle of friends."

"I'm STILL thirsty!" April whined.

"I have bottled water in the car, let's go."

"No!" she snapped, ripping her arm out of my grasp. "You...you go to Hell!"

"Believe me kid, I'm already in it."

Without another word I pulled April over my shoulder and carried her out of the club. Yeah, people looked at me like I was some kind of rapist but I truly did not care. She was my daughter and I knew for a fact that I cared ten times more about her then those trashy bimbo's did. All they wanted was to take advantage of her wealth...or I should say MY wealth...seeing as this little snit must have hacked my bank accounts to pay for all her drinks.

She continued to thrash in my arms and I had to grab her feet several times to keep them from making contact with my manhood. There was no way I was taking her home this way. Pepper would kick my ass. No...that meant we would have to get a hotel. As soon as I calmed April down I'd call Peps and tell her that I felt bad about neglecting my fatherly duties and chose to take April out for a night on the town. Now to just bargain with April sos he agreed to make Pepper believe such a thing.

"You are an asshole!" she yelled. "A giant asshole!"

"Yeah, yeah," I said dropping her into the car and buckling her in. "I love you too beautiful."

God my daughter sure was a fighter. I practically had to tie her to the seat to keep her from pulling the emergency break. I just needed to wait for the hangover to fall into place. Soon she'd reach that fall when all she was thinking about how much vomit a body could produce after drinking about twenty shots of hard liquor. I just hoped I could get her out of my car before that moment happened.

"Ugh..." she moaned. "My stomach..."

"No..." I said firmly. "Don't you DARE throw up in this car, April Olivia! Please! It's practically vintage!"

Her face was pale but I could see the faint twinge of green as she held her stomach. Please if there was a God let her hold on for a little longer. This car was one of my absolute favorites! Why had I been such an idiot as to take the Ferrari? Why didn't I take the Porche or the Mustang even? But there was no stopping it and I cringed as I heard April vomit all over the car's floor and a bit on the leather seats. In a way I asked for this...I shouldn't have let her leave the house...but why God...why the Ferrari?

I squeezed the steering wheel and forced myself to count backwards from one hundred, but when I looked at April all anger vanished. She was crying and looked very sick. I guess Pepper was right...I really did have a soft spot when it came to seeing my baby in pain. Gently I reached over and moved a couple strands of hair behind her ear.

"It's alright princess," I said. "I'll take care of you."

Then I'll beat your ass for soiling my favorite car later.

"It...it's in my shoes..." she cried with disgust.

"Well...just wait, it's going to get worse. You were downing tequilla shots babe...you will be lucky if you have any intestines left when you finish."

April turned green and turned from me to throw up again. I didn't even have a reaction this time. My floors were already ruined so I didn't see a point in trying to keep her from throwing up now. Thank God it didn't have a top or I might puke myself having to deal with the smell.

"A-Are we there yet?" she coughed, wiping her mouth with a shaking hand.

"Yes." I said parking and going to help April out of the car. "We are staying at a hotel so you can get over this hangover comfortably."

"So you don't get killed by Pepper..." she groaned softly.

"Bingo beautiful." I said pulling her into my arms.

Going over to the Valet I stopped him before handing him the keys.

"If you can find a place that can restore the upholstry I will tip you very well."

The young boy nodded vigorously and set off on his own mission. God help the kid if he made it any worse than what it already was. Adjusting April in my arms I went to the front desk of the hotel and made sure we were given the most lavish suite money could buy. Hey, even if she was nursing a hangover I wasn't known to be thrifty.

"Why did you...you come after me?" she whispered weakly.

"Because..." I sighed. "Because what I said was mean and I'm sorry...I didn't mean to snap at you like that. I've just had a lot on my mind. Which is why...I'm not going to ground you for this...I know I kind of deserved it."

"You did deserve it..." April breathed, laying her head against my chest. "If I could control it better I'd throw up all over you right now."

"It really would be perfect timing too," I smirked. "Love this shirt."

April closed her eyes and said, "Damn...well...maybe next time then."

Smirking I watched as April began to doze and made my way to the elevator. It was going to be nice to be able to sink into a clean bed. Granted, my own bed would have been nicer but I knew that going home like this would have been practical suicide. I was not going to let Pepper know about this if it was the last thing I did.

Our room was dimly lit when we went inside and I carefully tucked April into her own full size bed. She looked so small in the center of it, even now at seventeen. I helped her out of her shoes and gently covered her up with the cool sheet from the bed.

"I'm going to get you a bucket, alright?"

"I'm not going to puke anymore."April sighed. "I can handle my alcohol."

"Yeah the floor of my Ferrari says different. Just humor your old man and keep the can by you."

April rolled her eyes but I wasn't taking no for an answer. I had dealt with enough projectile vomit to last a lifetime. Bringing a trashcan to April's bedside I went to the minibar and brought her a can of gingerale. I was hoping to get her to take a sip but when I looked back down she was already passed out and dead asleep. With a soft chuckle I dimmed the light at her bedside and kissed her head before settling on the sofa and closing my eyes to fall asleep.

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**_(Please Read and Review...but no flames :) )_**


	12. A Real Breakthrough

_**Chapter Twelve is up :). This one is a bit more emotional then some of the others and it's mainly a long talk between Tony and April about some of the things from the past. I hope you guys really like it. Please Read and Review :D**_

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**Chapter Twelve**

**_April_**

There was no Hell quite like a hangover. Everything hurt from my head to my feet. I must have worn some killer high heels for my arches to be this sore. Opening my one eye I glanced around the room. It still looked fairly dark but I knew that was only because the curtains had been drawn. The sun was probably just on the other side of them...just waiting to slam it's freaking yellow fists into my eye sockets. Today was going to be awful and I truly wanted to just sleep through all of it...but I still had some details to take care of with the suit and the expo was too close for me to get sloppy.

"Ah, you're awake," Tony said coming over to me, his free hand holding a bagel. "I had been worried you'd fallen into a coma of sorts."

"Geez...you sound so worried..." I whispered. "Thanks."

"I've seen my fair share of hangovers dear-heart," he smiled. "If I had thought you were in really bad shape you would have woken up in the hospital."

In a way I was happy that it wasn't as bad as it could be. I still hated hospitals and after that long stay in one back in the UK I wasn't going to ever willingly walk into another one again. Seriously, Tony was going to have to find me a private physician or become a doctor himself before I went to see any old quack. They couldn't be trusted...all of them say they are going to help you, but for all you know they could be plotting your demise at that very minute...planning to harvest your organs and sell them on the black-market to later be made into meat-pies...or whatever black market dealers did with harvested organs.

"What are you thinking about?" Tony asked, breaking me from my thoughts.

"Huh? Oh..." I shrugged. "Just doctors...and organs..."

Tony sat down beside me and looked into my eyes. It was weird having him stare at me like that. I wasn't used to making direct eye contact with my father. Usually I was too angry or hurt to really look at him. Lately, it seemed that I found myself lowering my guard a bit more and more for him. I wasn't sure if I should be happy about that or worried. I was wary that if I let my father back into my heart he would just break it again...and after losing him once when I was very little...I don't think I would be able to stand losing him again.

"You _really_ hate doctors, don't you?" he asked gently.

"Yeah...I really do." I sighed.

"Why?"

I shrugged for a moment. I just never liked them. There had been one time I had considered being one but backed out of it. I felt that doctors didn't do enough. There was so much wrong with the world, so many things that needed to be fixed and shared with humans. In my mind a doctor was limited by what they could and could not do and in the end...it didn't matter what they did. Money was the main factor for all doctors. Did they really care about their patients or were they more concerned about that giant paycheck that fell into their laps after a week of "hard work". I could not stand any of them.

"I just feel..." I began. "For all the help they give...for all they say that they do...they do so little. They are supposed to be men of science right?"

He nodded.

"Well...then with science being so far ahead now...shouldn't their be more cures for diseases? Shouldn't there be some progress?"

"April...it's not the doctors that invent these cures," Tony said. "It's...people like me. The scientists...it really isn't the doctors fault."

I looked at Tony and part of me knew he was right. The other part still hated all doctors. I hated being poked and prodded when I went to hospitals and I hated all the injections. There was just nothing a doctor could do that would make me remotely interested in them or their line of work anymore.

"I still don't like them..." I sighed. "I'd take death first over going into a hospital any day."

"Yes well...that's not going to happen kiddo," he snorted. "I'd rather die then watch you sit there and suffer. Excluding this hangover...this you kind of put on yourself."

I stuck my tongue out at him and sunk back into the pillows of my bed. I really didn't want to leave this room at the moment. It was so nice and dark and I knew that the minute we went outside I was going to die under the spotlight of the sun. Hangovers really did suck...why was it that I chose to drink and let it get to this point? One would think that we as a species would realize how stupid we are not to forsee the inevitable when it came to alcohol consumption.

"You know..." he said, carefully sitting beside me on the bed. "There was one time when you were little that you were so sick you had me scared to death...do you remember?"

Looking up at him, I shook my head.

"I think you were three...just a baby...well...a baby by my standards," he smirked. "And I had left you with a nanny because I had a business meeting in Las Vegas."

I gave him a look and he cleared his throat. Yeah...people definitely went to Vegas for "business meetings".

"Alright...I went to gamble," he admitted. "But I didn't want to be an even worse father by bringing my baby along. Anyway you were only with this nanny for a day and I came home around midnight to check on you and make sure you were okay."

He paused and readjusted himself on the bed.

"You weren't okay...you were in bed but you were soaking wet with sweat and...and you were shaking because you were freezing cold...I had never seen you so sick," Tony sighed. "And I was an idiot, I had no clue what to do...all my years of science and being your dad had just shot out the window. I tried to think about something...scientific...I could do for you but all that came to mind was how scared I was that I was going to lose my princess...forever."

Tony frowned and gently took my hand into his own. It was so warm and strong...and for a moment I really did feel like a little girl again. I even remembered being small and placing my hand in the center of his palm...to show him how long my fingers were in comparison...and how soon they would be as long as his.

"I called Pepper and told her that I needed help and she came over as soon as she could," he continued. "You were so warm from the fever...and any time I tried to get you to drink some water you would just throw it up...all over me, mind you...I think you ruined four of my shirts in that one evening."

I smirked and moved my head to rest against Tony's arm. He stiffened for a moment but then moved his arm around my so that I could lay my head against his side instead.

"What was wrong with me?" I asked looking up at him.

"Your dumbass nanny let you eat rotten chicken and you got food poisoning...needless to say she never set FOOT in our home again and I wouldn't let anyone watch you until I went through an entire background check on each of them. I felt like such an idiot for letting you be put through so much Hell. For at least a month I wouldn't let you out of my sight."

I felt myself smile slightly and lay my head against Tony's chest. I felt the cold metal of his chest piece and shuddered. Every time I saw this...this thing he had been forced to place inside of him...it reminded me of the day I had heard the news reports that my father had been kidnapped. That was one day of my life that I had lived in absolute terror and it continued on for months. That was until I found out he was safe and NEVER bothered to get into contact with me, that's when the fear was replaced with pure fury.

"Can I ask you a question?" I yawned.

"Sure kiddo; anything."

"When you were locked in that cave...where you first made your Iron Man suit...did you think about me while you were being held hostage?"

My dad sat there silent for a couple of minutes and for a moment I felt dread seep into my heart. Maybe he didn't think about me while he was facing death...maybe he really hadn't cared that much about me at all. I wanted to believe that part of him held on to some kind of hope that he would see me again before the end of his life, that maybe there was a message he had left for me to find in that cave so that he could display how much he loved me.

"I did..." he said softly. "A man was in the cave with me that helped me escape...and he asked me if I had any family...and...and at first...I almost said no...not because I was denying you princess, but because I was terrified that if they heard me say I had a daughter they would come after you. You kept a quiet life in England, you were smart and tried not to attract attention to yourself. I didn't want you being...tortured and hurt...look at what I've already put you through sweetheart? The only comfort I have is that I was with you when you were kidnapped...but if they had taken you to Afghanistan, there would have been a great chance I would have never seen you again."

Tony's hands were shaking slightly with his voice and I held them firmly in my own. He really was upset about this and I felt sort of bad for bringing it up, but then another part of me was happy for this kind of emotion. I was happy that my father could show this kind of emotion and that he felt so strongly about me and my well-being. It was refreshing and...in a way it kind of made me want to be closer with him.

"April..." he said softly, his eyes moist. "You were the only thing that kept me fighting..."

"Tony...I-

-I know that you believe I don't...think about you...when we aren't fighting or yelling at each other, but I do...I think about you quite a bit...even when it didn't seem like I was, you were always on my mind." he reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out a folded piece of paper.

It was old and worn but had the sheen of a Polaroid. I suppose that even the great Tony Stark had to use a base camera at some point of his life. He unfolded the paper and gingerly placed it in my hands. It was a picture...a picture of me...but it wasn't from when I was a toddler, no...this picture was of me during graduation. I looked at the picture and then looked up at my father.

"How did you...but...but Pepper told me you were gone on business."

"I was...in a way...I left for England..." he said gently. "I didn't want people to know I was going to see you because this was your day to shine. I...I have a bad habit of stealing the limelight."

I felt my eyes swell with tears as I looked at the picture. All that day I had spent just wanting to kill my father for not showing up...that I had waited and hoped that he would be there and had to live with the disappointment that he wasn't. When here was the proof that he had been there and he had even gone so far as to take a picture of me to prove it. It was a very nice picture of me...but I could tell from my expression that there was something missing.

"I didn't care if it was my day," I said. "I would have given anything to share it with you...to make it _our _day. All I wanted that day was to know that there was a part of you that cared about me...or even knew I existed. And...I hated you so much for letting me down...for not being there. Now that I know you were there...I...I still don't know what to do with the information."

I looked up at him as a tear slowly slid down my cheek.

"I...I want to give you a chance...and...and I want to let you in...but I am so scared..." I whispered, my words trembling past my lips.

"I don't expect you to ever forgive me princess," he said gently wiping my tears away. "I know that I wouldn't have if I was in your position...but...I will tell you one thing. I will continue to work at this dad thing. I will try and be better...I'd make the promise to be what you deserve...but...I know that no matter what I do, I will always feel like you deserve better."

I felt my own tears slide down my face and I hugged him, burrowing myself into his chest. I could feel the metal of Tony's chest plate but I didn't care. I just wanted to hold him. I never expected him to open up to me...not ever. Even after all we have been through I didn't think I would hear Tony be serious about anything...and I just couldn't contain myself. The sadness I felt from doubting his love for me, the anger of him not telling me sooner, and the happiness...the happiness of realizing that maybe him and I could make this work...maybe there was some hope for us...

"I...I love you...daddy..." I cried softly. "I love you..."

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**_I'm thinking about writing a one shot for the story from when Tony had to take care of April when she was little, but I'm still not sure yet. If you guys think that sounds like a good side project just let me know and I'll start it when I have time :D_**

**_(Please Read and Review...but no flames :) )_**


	13. A Ghost Dog

_**Chapter Thirteen is up :). I don't really like this chapter haha, I think it served more as a filler than anything else. The next chapter is gonna be a lot better since I'm gonna have us skip ahead to the expo center! Think of think of this as the last chapter before we start following the second Iron Man movie a little bit (there will still be MANY personal twists to it of course ;) ). As always, I hope you all enjoy the chapter and please Review!**_

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**Chapter Thirteen**

**_Tony_**

We had got home later that evening, mostly because I wanted to make sure April was completely clear headed before I dared to let Pepper see her. She had handled the hangover better than most people might and to my great pleasure, she didn't vomit all over my car on the drive home. And that valet had done a great job of getting my baby clean again. She looked practically new and there was absolutely no trace of throw up anywhere. Today was gonna be a good day.

"I never got to ask you," I said as we walked into our home. "Did you find a school you were interested in attending here?"

April shrugged and sighed. I knew that she wanted to go somewhere that would challenge her and make her feel accomplished, but her best bet was to truly be in Europe for that. She was at Oxford for the longest time and that alone stood above any education a seventeen year old could hope to acquire.

"The school's around here...aren't really what I'm looking for," she said. "And I kind of want to change my major a bit..."

"Oh really?" I asked. "To what?"

"Whatever it is you do..."

I was floored for a moment and I truly just stared at April. I loved to think that her sudden career and major change was because she admired me, but I did not want to risk her going into something that she would later hate just because she had wanted to recieve approval from me. April had gone to school to become a lawyer and I was so proud of her for that, but this major change would essentially have her starting over completely. I did not want her to abandon past goals to satisfy me.

"Princess," I said carefully. "You know I think that's...awesome...but you need to think about it first. You would have to start over with your schooling completely."

"Dad, I'm seventeen..." she said. "Most teenagers my age are just starting to apply to colleges."

She did have a point and it wasn't like money was an issue. I just truly didn't want her getting into something she would later regret. For her to get into my line of work she would have to major in engineering, chemistry, biomedical engineering, physics and math. That was a very large case load for someone so young. And even though I knew my kid could do it, it was also a lot of pressure. I would ensure her a job with Stark Industries...but she would also have to show her metal...I didn't even know what my child knew about engineering...it couldn't be much, I imagined.

"You know that I will support whatever you choose...excluding being a prostitute...or a pole dancer...reporter...mmm, politician...so long as you stay out of those career fields everything between us will be great."

I smirked and gently kissed the top of April's head.

"I'm going to go and...relax for a bit..." she said gently pulling away. "You think you'll be okay for an hour or so without me babysitting you?"

With a roll of my eyes I sent her off with a wave of my hand and began making my way to the lab. I had something I needed to check regardless. For a while now, although I hadn't been paying it much mind, I have been dealing with something that is slowly...well...killing me. The palladium in my chest is poisoning me and I knew that I was running out of time to find an alternate element. It was all rather ironic if I truly sat down and thought about it. I was finally gaining a relationship with my daughter, only to find out that I was going to lose my life.

I had taken a lot of time going over what I was going to do with the business when I died and for the longest time I had thought I would be naming Pepper CEO of Stark Industries...but now that April was in my life and I found out that she wanted to take an interest in the family business...I was thinking that I would have to bequeath the business to her. Pepper, of course, would still stay on hand for April...she loved that girl just as much as I did. At least I liked to think she did.

But with April back in my life, now all I wanted to do was work twice as hard to find a solution. Before when I thought I was dying, I was prepared to give up everything...my life...my legacy... everything to Pepper. Now that April was here I wanted her to be in my life. I had no desire for it to end so quickly...I already missed so much with April because I was a blithering douche bag that sent her away, I refused to be taken away from her now.

So I turned to Jarvis and braced myself for a night of research and endless work. It would probably be easier if I told someone...I could have them help me, we could band together whatever research we came across. However, that would involve revealing it to Pepper and April...and if April knew I was dying now that we had finally reached some common ground, it would hurt her more than words could probably express. And right now I enjoyed seeing her smile at me, rather than scowl.

Hours passed and I still felt like I had made no progress. Maybe there really wasn't a cure for this poisoning...maybe I had finally met my match. God, it just wasn't fair...I had wasted so much of my time doing stupid shit over spending it with my kid...saving the world...and now I was going to get my ass kicked by some stupid fucking machine I built to save me! God, life was such a fucking bitch! Unable to contain my temper, I pushed all the papers from my desk and through a coffee mug through a glass partition just as Pepper was making her way down the steps.

"Tony! Jesus Christ!"

I felt my blood run cold for a moment and I cleared my throat awkwardly. Pepper always had the best timing imaginable.

"Oh...hey, Peps..." I said somewhat quietly. "You need something?"

"What the Hell are you doing?" she snapped. "Are you trying to kill me?!"

"No...I mean...c'mon, you'd think I had better aim if I was actualling TRYING to...I just lost my temper...I hate that fucking mug."

Pepper cocked her eyebrow at me and I could see in her blue eyes that she knew I was full of shit, but I didn't really care. I was going to stick with my story mostly because the truth would just make Pepper more upset.

"Tony...are you okay?" she asked, stepping over the broken glass. "You've been down here for hours...maybe you should go to bed."

"What? Bed? No...I'm not tired..."

"You look exhausted."

"Looks can be decieveing."

"Yeah, not your looks...is something wrong? Are you sick?"

Damn that woman...she saw right through me in absolutely everything. I didn't want her to find out about the poisoning...I would never be able to look at her again if she found out I was dying. It wasn't that I didn't trust Pepper with the information, it was the fact that I didn't like thinking about my own mortality rate. I knew that everyone died, but I refused to believe that I was going to...at least this early in my life.

"No, I'm just working Pepper," I sighed, closing the screens Jarvis had up. "New suit upgrades and stuff."

"Hmm...and working on new suits reminded you just how much you hated that blasted coffee mug?"

"Yes, exactly." I said with a nod.

Pepper smirked at me, but I could tell that it was only half her usual teasing was seeing through me right now...and when that happened the best thing for me to do was either change the subject or find some excuse to get the Hell away from her.

"Soo..." I said. "I should go check on April...dummy, clean up that shitty mug, please."

Giving Pepper a sly wink, I slid past her and made my way upstairs. April was in the living room watching TV and casually I sat down next to her and slung my arm around her. She turned to face me briefly and I saw her smile out the corner of my eye just as she turned back to face the television. This was nice...it was almost like we were a completely normal family.

"So what are we watching dear heart?" I asked with a slight yawn.

"Hmm...I don't know actually...I wasn't really paying attention." she lifted the remote and scrolled through the guide briefly. "A Nightmare Before Christmas apparently."

"Oh! I remember this movie!" I smiled widely. "Do you? It was your absolute favorite when you were little. Maybe..."

I paused in thought for a moment and snatched up April's hand.

"C'mon, I have to show you something."

I didn't wait for her permission before I was pulling her off the sofa and towards my bedroom. I had kept something of April's...something she had actually given to me the day I had sent her away to England. It was a small stuffed animal...a little ghost dog named Zero. When April had first seen the Nightmare Before Christmas she fell in love with the little ghost dog...and so...I bought her own stuffed one. It was to make up for the fact that I wouldn't let her have a real puppy in the house.

When I had driven her to the airport and helped her board...she gave the puppy back to me. I still remember to this day what she had said to me...she said that Zero would protect me until she came home. For a while I had kept the stuffed toy on my dresser, but after having countless women in my room...I eventually pushed it to the side and it wound up in a box in my closet. I know, I'm an asshole, but now that April was home...if she wanted she could have her little toy back.

"Tony, what are we doing?" she asked, as I went to the closet and pulled an old box from the back.

"Just humor me, princess." I said, opening the box.

"Alright, I'm humoring you." April smiled, taking a seat on my bed. "Do you ever sleep in here?"

"I eventually find my way."

"Yeah, at like four in the morning."

"My best work starts at three." I smirked, routing through the box. "You'll see...soon you'll be staying up that late."

"I bet." she sighed. "What are you looking for?"

I was worried for a moment when I couldn't find it, but after a minute or so of pushing junk around, I could feel the soft plush of April's toy dog. I smiled and gently pulled it up from it's cardboard home and turned towards April.

"This..." I said, gently placing the dog in her hands. "Remember this?"

April's eyes widened slightly and I smiled as she gently ran her hands over the white felt. I hoped that she would be happy that I kept it and not angry that it had wound up in a box of junk. I would never blame her for being upset...even if I did think it was a bit trivial. So it was in a box...I kept it safe for her regardless.

"You kept it?" she asked, looking up at me.

"Of course I did...my baby girl gave it to me."

"I missed it so much when I was away," she sighed, her fingers gently pulling at the floppy ears. "So I'm guessing this means you still won't let me get a real puppy."

"Psh," I snorted. "Why would you need a real puppy...you have a perfectly good plush one right here."

April smirked and rolled her eyes playfully at me.

"Gee...thanks..." she smiled. "I guess some things never change."

"Nope..." I smiled. "Besides, the moment that little mutt would chew on one of my wires and I would have to send him to a freaking sausage factory."

"Tony Stark...the humanitarian," she snorted, pulling herself to stand. "I don't think I can trust you with Zero anymore...you might send him off to the Good Will."

"Zero?" I said, feigning offense. "He deserves far better than that...I'll send him to a recycling plant."

"I'm gonna send YOU to a recycling plant, tin man." April hissed, sticking her tongue out of me and excusing herself from my room.

Cringing as I felt my chest ache painfully, I took a deep breath and tried to compose myself before standing and going back down to the lab.

"That might be sooner than you think, princess..." I breathed to myself.

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	14. It's Good To Be Back!

_**Chapter Fourteen is up :). Sorry for the wait all, I've been super busy with school and work. These next 2-3 chapters should come fairly quickly, since it's the Expo center and April's little stunt with Tony. I'm not going to give you guys too many in-depth author summaries for these chapters...I feel like it would ruin it ;). Anyway, as always, please read and review! Your feedback motivates me to write :D**_

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**Chapter Fourteen**

**_April_**

It had taken some time to get the suit together and I had a couple close calls with Tony along the way. He had been taking a lot of time in his lab, working on some secret project. I knew that I should probably be more curious about what that was...but at the moment I was more or less concerned with just getting away with my own secret venture. Tonight dad was going to make his big appearance at the Stark Expo...him and Pepper were taking the private jet so that dad could enter in dramatically from the sky. His depravity knew no bounds. They assumed that I had a lot of work when it came to finding a new school...so they hadn't even bothered to ask if I would like to go with...assholes.

I was left home alone for right now...and although I was offended...I would not let that hinder my good mood. This was going to be an amazing night and I could not wait to see the look on my dad's face when he flew in as Iron Man and then got showed up by his own daughter. Jarvis and I had gone through so many system checks that I was pretty sure I had the suit's entire makeup tattooed to the inside of my skull. This was going to go absolutely perfect. I could just see it now. Tony makes his grand entrance and then I come in not two seconds later with an even bigger one! Since the suit was so light in weight, I would be able to fly faster than my dad and move around more fluidly...it was going to be pretty sweet.

"Jarvis, how long until the Expo?" I asked.

"Three hours Miss Stark."

Okay, so that left me with plenty of time to get to New York. My suit was just as fast as Tony's if not faster. All do to the fact that it was lighter. I would get there in no time and be able to put on the best damn show in Stark history. I had even made some, personal, adjustments to the arm canons that I was saving for tonight. My suit went beyond anything my father could have dreamt up. He may be older than me and have more money, but Tony definitely didn't possess my creative edge.

After a few final maintenance checks on the suit, me figuring out just how I was going to show up my father at the expo, and a quick supper…I went back to the garage and stood on the launch pad where my suit would take my form. This was going to look amazing…even better than it had been when I had first started. I had changed the paint once more, deciding that this was going to be the April Stark color from now on…but today would be the first day that I would get to see it on myself.

Tony liked the hot rod red and gold…but I was more of a silver and blue kind of girl. I smiled a bit as I saw myself in the reflection of one of the fenders of dad's cars and held up my arms.

"Suit up, Jarvis."

I never thought that I would feel as in sync with the hissing of medal as I do now. It was almost like it went along with my breathing. I felt like I was finally starting to understand what dad felt whenever he put his suit on…why he loved being Iron Man so much. For a while, I thought he was just out for the attention…I mean…what dumb ass superhero actually REVEALS his secret identity to the world? Batman would have never been caught dead doing such a thing…but now…now I kind of understood why he did what he did…I felt what he felt…a sort of oneness with my suit.

"Jarvis…you there?"

"Always, Miss Stark."

"Okay…how is the weather looking?" I asked, watching as my sensor map pulled up with my GPS.

"Clear skies, Miss Stark."

"Gorgeous…" I smiled. "Alright…shall we?"

After receiving a final all clear from Jarvis, I kicked on my hand and boot thrusters before racing out of the garage and into the night sky. The suit really did move faster than dad's and I was honestly surprised that I had the stomach for it. There was something serene about soaring through the air that couldn't compare to barreling around on the asphalt. It kept me from feeling nauseated…I felt like I was floating now…weightless. I wished that I could close my eyes and drift away, but at this kind of speed…that would be extremely stupid and dangerous. The one thing I gave up when it came to using platinum for the armor was it lacked the protection Tony's suit had. If I were to slam into anything, it would kill me. The force would probably shatter all of my bones in a second …something that I found I really shouldn't be thinking about WHILE I was actually flying.

"Miss Stark," I heard Jarvis say. " Your father is calling."

I cursed softly, I knew that ignoring the call would just have him worrying that someone had broken into the house to kidnap me…but if I did answer, he might hear the wind in the background. I really should have thought about finding a way to sound proof my helmet. Maybe I could text him a reply as to why I couldn't answer his call.

"Should I put the call through, Miss Stark?"

"Um…Jarvis, forward it to my voicemail…and reply with a text…tell him…shit…tell him that I'm studying…"

I watched as the message appeared in a small window beside the map I was following and sent off to dad's cell phone. There were something's that were worth lying about… this was definitely one of them.

"I have his reply Miss Stark."

"Shit…he's gotten quit," I sighed. "Ya know Jarvis…this is actually illegal, I'm sure…texting while flying. Read it to me."

"Your father says "If you are studying, why didn't you just answer the phone to tell me so?"."

I shook my head, I wasn't going to reply again…I was too worried that I might give myself away. I am a very skilled bullshitter…but I had to get it from someone…and the natural rule of life is "never bullshit a bullshitter". For the next hour and a half I spent flying to New York, Tony insisted on texting and calling me. Apparently my lack of communication with him was making him worry more. I decided that I would give him a little piece of mind and called him.

"April-

"Dad-

"Just STOP right there!" he snapped. "Do you have any fucking idea how worried I was about you?! I called you at least fifteen times and you couldn't pick up once?! I can't believe you April Olivia! For the love of God, you must have aged me ten god damn years in TEN fucking minutes!"

I remained silent through my dad's rant, hoping that he would be so angry that he wouldn't hear the wind rushing by in the background. I was so close to being to the Expo that I had to fly higher so people wouldn't see me. This sucked so hard, because the suit also wasn't equipped for very cold temperatures. I was freezing!

"When Pepper and I get BACK to Malibu, you and I are having a very LONG conversation about your behavior…VERY long! See?! I can bee a strict parent!"

I sighed as the phone clicked. Shit…he was already really pissed right now, if I showed up at the Expo, he might bust a vein right out his neck. Oh well…it was too late to back out now. I had worked like a damn slave on this suit and I was going to do this…even though I was kind of scared at seeing Tony that angry…I don't think he has ever yelled at me like that before…this might just be the thing to send him over the edge.

"Miss Stark," Jarvis said. "Ten minutes before your father will be on the stage at the Expo."

Well…now was your chance April…you could back out right now and Tony would probably forget about his threat he made over the phone…you could turn back and make Tony feel bad about screaming at you over the phone and just hanging up. Or you could go through with it…and just see how far you can push Iron Man before he cracks.

"Hmm…Option Two just sounds more entertaining."

I pulled up the live feed from the Expo center and watched carefully as dad made his entrance. I wanted to wait for him to get the suit off before I landed…better to avoid a confrontation while I could. I doubted dad would ever turn his Iron Man powers on me, but there was always a slight chance that Tony could lose his temper that much that he just blacked out.

I watched the feed, rolling my eyes at the dancers Tony hired-wonder how Pepper felt about that one-and when I saw dad turn and say "Aw, it's good to be back!"

I turned up the thrusters and shot down into the open skylight above the stage. The crowd roared, apparently unaware that this wasn't apart of the act, but I didn't disappoint. I soared about their heads, spinning, turning, and then finally flying towards the platform. Flipping gracefully onto the stage, I landed and pulled myself up to stand in front of my dad…a cocky smile on my face.

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	15. Stark Expo Showdown!

_********__SO here is chapter fifteen everyone. I had to admit that I was just as excited to see this go down as you were :). I hope it doesn't disappoint as we were kind of building to this point. But believe me, it's only going to get better :D! Please Read and Review guys!_

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**Chapter Fifteen**

**_Tony_**

Was my eye twitching? It felt like my eye was twitching. I couldn't really tell if my eye was twitching because my heart was thumping so damn loudly in my ears I thought that the noise would suffocate all my other senses. The only thing that was racing in my mind was "please tell me that this isn't April". But I knew that there was no possible other explanation…and the more I thought about her past behavior the more the pieces began to fall together. My daughter had played me and the worst part was, we were in public so I couldn't even DO anything about it!

I watched as April's mask lifted with a faint hiss and her green eyes faced mine. I hope she could sense how utterly fucked she was. At the moment that was the ONLY thought that was keeping me from pealing that suit off of her and beating her ass!

"Aren't you going to introduce me daddy dearest?" she yelled, causing the audience to gasp and some of them to applaud.

I put on an eerily cheery smile and gently put and arm around my daughter. Even in the suit, she wasn't that much taller than me. I would have to admit at some point, that this suit was pretty damn impressive…eventually…maybe…twenty years from now. I turned to face the public, so that they would believe this was all part of the Expo and gently gripped April's metal shoulder.

"A daughter and a SUIT after my own heart, huh!" I called out. "Isn't she just a daddy's girl, folks?"

Oh she was so fucking grounded it wasn't even funny. I almost wished she was young enough for a spanking…parents still did that crap right? I could never remember if it was one of those things that parents were for or against…well I know that right now I was DEFINITELY pro-spanking.

While the crowd seemed to be distracted, I gently turned off my microphone so no one would hear me and lowered my voice so that only April could hear me.

"I don't know what the HELL you were hoping to accomplish by all of this," I growled, still waving and smiling. "But as soon as we are done here…we are scrapping this suit and your ass is grass."

I watched as April turned to glare at me and I saw the same fire in her eyes that I usually had when I was about to do something I would seriously regret later. Before she could even say a word, I ducked as she through an armored punch at me.

"Are you fucking crazy?!" I hissed, happy my mic was still off. "You could have lopped my head off!"

"My SUIT can outfight yours any time and wear, Iron SHIT! Now put it on!"

My eyes darted into April's and something in me told me that this was going to happen whether I liked it or not…and at this point…it would probably be best that I was in my suit so that I wouldn't get clobbered. I doubted April would kill me, but I knew that she wouldn't be above breaking at least one of her father's bones when she was angry…Hell I knew that I wasn't.

Moving back over to the launch pad I held out my arms and waited for the suit. My eyes remained trained on my daughter as the metal clasped over my limbs and I glared at her the entire time, until my face was shielded from her and she could no longer see me. I could not believe this was happening, but what better way to start the Stark Expo than with a little family bonding.

"Tony," Pepper hissed of my mic. "What the Hell are you two doing?"

"Can't talk right now, Peps…I'm about to kick my daughter's ass."

April's helmet closed and I began using Jarvis to identify all the weak spots I could in her suit. She had done a good job…but her armor wasn't practical at all. It was so thing, if I dared to blast her with anything, it would no doubt cause some serious damage to her organs. This was going to be one of the hardest/easiest fights I have ever gone through.

"Tony, you can't do this-

-can't hear you, going through a tunnel."

Turning off the cell phone feed between Pepper and I, I turned back to my daughter and readied myself. This was going to be one of the best fights in Stark Family history. I don't think my dad would be able to boast about having such an intense fight with me.

"Ready when you are prin-

Before I could finish, April aimed her arm canon at me and fired. The blast was pure energy and I flew back into the crowd, careful to turn on my thrusters before slamming into anyone. I shook my head as I tried to pull myself together. Where in all that is fucking Holy had she gotten a hold of that kind of tech!?

And that's when it hit me…or she did…for a second time…she must have used my original design for that gun I had designed when we were held in captivity. I thought I had scrapped that damn thing! It was clear that I was going to have to be a lot more mindful about what I did with my designs.

I looked up at my daughter and barreled towards her, grabbing her with both my arms and pulling her off of the stage. I wasn't going to risk us hurting any of the audience members and I had a feeling that she and I really needed to talk one on one without a ton of people being around to listen in.

"What the Hell is your problem, April!?" I snapped. "Why are you doing this?"

"You LEFT me in Malibu!" she snarled. "You didn't even bother to ask if I wanted to be apart of the Stark Expo! And you haven't even TOLD anyone that I was your daughter! That crowd didn't even know I existed! But OH they all know about Pepper and you, don't they!?"

I grunted as April shoved her feet into my chest and kicked me back. I was starting to understand why she had made the suit with Platinum Sterling…her reflexes were really fast.

"How was I supposed to know that you wanted to go?!" I snapped, pulling her arm behind her back when she came to land another hit. "You didn't say anything, April Olivia!"

"You couldn't TELL!?" she roared, trying to aim her hand canon at my head. "Are you SERIOUSLY that dense!?"

"Apparently!" I yelled, grabbing her other arm. "Now stop…before I hurt you, April."

"Hurt me?" she snorted. "I'd like to see you try!"

"Your armor is thinner than mine, I get one clear shot…and you are down…I have both your arms behind your back…you have lost, April."

April tried to pull her legs up and I honestly knew that she wouldn't stop until I made it that she couldn't go any further. So taking my hand canon, I aimed at her feet and blasted. The thrusters hissed back and April gasped as her weight suddenly caught up to her and she sagged heavily in my arms.

"NO! No! What did you do!" she screamed.

"Are you going to calm down?!" I snapped. "Because I could just let go of you and you could have some time to yourself."

"You ruined her! I worked so hard!"

April's voice was trembling and I knew that she was going to cry…and a part of me felt kind of bad. I understood all the work that went into making a suit and I knew that part of April's soul had gone into this suit, but she was trying to kill me with it! Surely that meant I was right in what I had done.

"You were trying to hurt me with it, April," I sighed, lowering us to the ground. "You are my daughter-"

"I wasn't going to KILL you or anything! I was just trying to show you up! To show you that I was just as good at you at this crap! That I can be a superhero too!"

My eyes widened a bit and I removed my mask. I didn't want April to be a superhero! I wanted her to be a normal teenage girl, or as normal as she could be living with the Stark name. If she were to become a superhero, there was the chance that she would always be in danger! That she could die constantly. I got off on that shit, but April…I didn't even want to think about her living this kind of life.

"April…no…" I said holding her firmly. "This isn't…you can't be a super hero!"

"Why not?! You aren't the only extraordinary person in the world, Tony!"

"I know that!" I yelled. "But I don't want to lose you! God, April…I don't want you to be a superhero…it isn't that you couldn't do it…I know that you could…but I don't WANT you to do it. I don't want you putting yourself in danger for people that could give two fucks about you! I want you to be selfish and live for you and no one else!"

"I don't want to live like that Tony," she said, her mask lifting off her face. "I want to be needed, I wanted to be useful, and I want to matter!"

A few tears slide down her face, and gently I wiped them away with my metal hand. How many times was I going to have to prove this to April? I guess for every year that I had abandoned her.

"April, you matter…you matter to me." I said softly. "I would trade all of this for you…I would give it all up if I thought that we could live normal lives together…but we can't, princess…but I don't want you living like me. I don't want you giving up your freedom for the thrills of being a superhero…it's just not worth it."

"I am doing this…" she said firmly. "You can either…support me…or just stand by and watch as I do it on my own."

I chewed the inside of my cheek. I knew she wasn't making idle threats. April WOULD really continue to add to her suit and she would use it, if only to piss me off more. But perhaps if I gave her permission…maybe she would just lose interest. Psh…yeah right, I was fucked either way.

"Fine...we'll start working tonight..."

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**_(Please Read and Review...but no flames :) )_**


	16. A Difference of Opinion

_********__SO here is chapter sixteen everyone. I saw Iron Man 3 last night and now...wow...I just have such a deeper love for Tony that it isn't even funny. I'm not going to write any spoilers in this story...but believe me, I am super excited to reach the Iron Man 3 version of this fanfic. Anyway, I hope you guys like this next chapter and as always, please Read and Review :)_

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**Chapter Sixteen**

**_April_**

I could not believe that dad was agreeing to help me…I had anticipated a much longer fight…I had actually thought he would try and hit me…but all he had done was hold me back and fuck with my thrusters. I was sort of mad, I had wanted us to go toe for toe… but when we landed and he told me that he was going to actually HELP with my suit, I had another moment where I was completely floored. I couldn't believe my ears and as he held out his bared hand for me to take…I just stared at it.

"Seriously?" I asked, giving him a look.

"Isn't this what you want?"

"No…I mean…yeah, it is…but I just expected us to…fight more."

"Well…Pepper would kick my ass if I kicked yours too much," Tony sighed. "I'm probably going to get it for even letting our little tiff get this far."

I still stared at him. I almost thought he might be falling off his rocker a bit, but then I realized that Tony isn't like normal fathers. He had the same…basic…instincts, I guess. But otherwise, he was really kind of flying blind through this whole parenting thing. Part of me wanted to take advantage of that and part of me kind of felt bad for him. I knew that my dad always liked to feel in his element…any situation where he couldn't prove that he was smarter than someone else had a way of making him really…antsy. Parenting had to be one of those "antsy" feelings for him.

"Are you with me?" he asked suddenly. "Because you are starting to look like a deer in headlights."

I shook my head and cleared my throat. I didn't realize I was staring at him with such a vacant expression. I didn't know if I was happy or upset that he was actually going to help me with the suit. Part of my motivation was that he HATED the idea! I loved that I was going against his wishes, it's what made me work hard. But knowing that he was going to be standing over me…critiquing my work…now I was nervous and skeptical. I wanted this to be my own creation, not a Tony creation that he just slapped my name on. No…I was going to have to make my stance clear with him before we started.

"Wait…" I said, grabbing his arm. "Before we get too ahead of ourselves…I want to make something plain…this is MY suit, okay? I am perfectly capable of building this suit on my own…you are just coming for an occasional input. You are basically a ghost, got me?"

Tony smirked and gently slung his arm around me.

"Honey, you won't even know I'm there!"

* * *

I couldn't believe how many labs dad had around the world. But I would admit that the one in Malibu was my favorite. I knew where everything was there, but this one in New York wasn't as large…nor was it as…user friendly. I didn't even know where to begin when it came to how all of his crap was just laying around.

"What is all this junk?" I asked, picking up a random piece of metal. "Don't you have a cleaning lady here?"

"Why would I bring a cleaning anyone in here!?" Tony asked. "I have dummy."

"And he's doing such a great job." I retorted, sarcastically. "So how did you get Pepper to let you help me with the suit?"

Tony sat down at his desk and turned towards his computer screen. Something told me that he hadn't even spoken to Pepper about it…but I knew that the moment she found out that he was going to end up in the doghouse. In a way I felt kind of bad for him…because I could sense that he really liked Pepper…but on the other hand, he had volunteered to help me.

"So, the metal you chose for your Iron Woman suit," Tony coughed, changing the subject. "It's shit."

"It is NOT shit!" I hissed. "It's lightweight, that's how I could land so many punches while you were STILL trying to raise your freaking arm!"

"April," he said, looking up at me. "It isn't going to protect you. Someone shoots you from below or above…you are going down."

"If I let them! I would just keep moving."

"April, how are you going to aim to get a shot if you are always moving?" he sighed. "You are not thinking practical here. We need to switch the armor to something more durable."

"I don't want to switch it Tony!" I snapped. "I knew this was going to happen! You won't even listen to what I have to say!"

"I am listening April!" he snapped back. "But I'm right and your wrong!"

"Who says?!"

"How about the_ two_ masters degrees I got from MIT?" Tony said arrogantly. "And the fact that you have made about…hmm…one suit and I have made about…hmm…several?"

I felt my eyebrows knit together as my glare intensified. He was such an arrogant son of a bitch! I could not believe we were fucking related! I would make him see that my Iron Woman suit was twice the quality of his! If I was fast and quiet enough to get behind whatever bonehead tried to shoot at me, I wouldn't need a sturdier armor! That was the entire point of using Platinum Sterling…and…it just looked better! It had a shine and glimmer to it that I felt was totally the perfect super heroine trademark! Dad was probably just freaking jealous he hadn't thought of it first.

"You _aren't_ listening to me!" I yelled after about twenty minutes of us going back and forth. "Platinum Sterling makes up for it because I will be able to move faster making the target for them harder to aim at! You are just jealous that you couldn't think of that yourself!"

"Jealous?!" Tony spat. "I'm JEALOUS?! Oooh…little girl, you are walking into dangerous territory. Let me tell you something missy…this isn't my first rodeo! I was building robots and super computers before you were even a thought in my mind-

-so you only started last year then?" I snarled.

Tony deadpanned and his eyes darkened. I guess I had crossed a line…oh well, so had he! This suit meant as much to me as his suits meant to him! Maybe if I gutted out my heart and replaced it with a freaking magnet, he would see that…but until then, I could see that trying to explain anything I had to say to Tony was pointless. Going over to his computer, I sucked my Iron Woman files back into my phone and ripped the cord out.

"Ouch, Miss Stark!" Jarvis hissed.

"Sorry." I snapped.

"Where are you going?" Tony asked, not looking at me.

"I'm going to fucking bed." I snapped. "Because you clearly aren't going to be of any help. I'll do this on my own, just like I had planned too."

"April…" he groaned, taking his hands over his face. "Would you just listen to me for a second? I am serious…that metal isn't going to seem smart when you are in an actual attack! I am not telling you this because I feel like I know it all…though it could be debated-

-Tony!"

"Right, right, right….sorry…I just want to protect you, honey."

I couldn't look at him…because when I looked at him and saw him sad or…or that he was actually genuine in his concern, I started to lose my resolve and anger towards him. I was starting to grow soft…but dad didn't realize something. I wasn't just building the suit for me. I wanted to protect him too. If he had everyone's back, who had his? No one…and I was not willing to let someone steal my father from me…not again. I knew that I came off as not caring for Tony…and there were times that I couldn't even call him dad or daddy (as much as I could tell he yearned for the title). But I did love him…he was my father and the only living family I had left or knew about.

"Tony-

-what happened to daddy?" he asked softly, gently guiding my chin up towards him. "Hmm? I like when you call me that…it feels like home."

I sighed…this was not fair…he wasn't being arrogant anymore. I thought my dad was supposed to be a self-involved dickhead. Now he was coming off as this love starved puppy. He was making it REALLY hard to stay pissed at him.

"Dad…I just know this could work…I wish you would trust me." I said, my green eyes not leaving his own.

"I can't gamble with your life, April Olivia…I have to protect the one thing I can't live without."

"Dummy?"

"Way to kill the moment, princess." He smirked. "Please…at least…let me try and find an alloy that is both durable and lightweight?"

I sighed, he really wasn't going to let this go…I guess…letting him choose the alloy wouldn't hurt too much. I would still get to configure the weapons and flight systems…and that was honestly where the real fun started.

"Fine…but no more meddling after that…promise!"

"Cross my heart, honey." he smiled, pulling me into his arms and placing a gently kiss on my forehead.

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**_(Please Read and Review...but no flames :) )_**


	17. Make A Move

_********__SO here is chapter seventeen everyone. I thought this was a cute chapter between Tony and his girls. I'm also thinking April needs some kind of love interest soon. Who all wants to see Tony's reaction to his little girl finding a boyfriend ;) haha. Please Read and Review! _

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**Chapter Seventeen**

**_Tony_**

We had been working for hours on this suit, and when I looked at the clock, I saw that it was close to four o-clock in the morning. Even by my standards that meant bedtime and with the palladium poisoning…I was extremely tired and ready to just sleep for a week. I glanced over to April and saw that she was sleeping against one of the desks. She must have passed out while I was configuring the thrusters on her suit.

Pulling myself to stand up, I went over to my desk and pulled out a small gage. I needed to test my blood before I carried April to bed. I pressed my finger lightly against the needle and listened as it let out a soft couple of beeps. I looked at the number and saw that it read…twenty percent…well that wasn't good…it had gone up one percent since last night.

"What's that?" I heard a sleepy voice ask.

Quickly, I slipped the gage into my pocket and turned back to April. She was blinking up at me and I quickly took my hand through my hair and smiled gently at her.

"What's what honey?" I asked, softly. "You just woke up."

"No…that thing that was beeping?" April yawned.

"Oh…that was nothing…just a blood sugar thing," I said, casually. "Y'know…to make sure I still remember to eat…"

I couldn't tell if April was buying it or not, but I had a feeling she was too tired at the moment to care. She rested her head back down and closed her eyes to fall asleep. Damn…I had just dodged a bullet there. Carefully, I pulled April into my arms, hissing in slight discomfort at the strain it was putting on my already sore muscles and began making my way out of the lab.

"Jarvis, lock up the lab please."

"Of course sir."

Quietly as I could I began making my way upstairs, only to stop short when I saw that Pepper was standing right at the top waiting for me. She was still dressed and from the look on her face, I could tell that she was not happy with me at all. I guess I couldn't blame her for that…I…hadn't actually told her we were leaving the Expo to come here. And she sure as Hell didn't know that I was building April her own suit…at least…I didn't think she knew.

"I'm…sorry?" I asked, as I carefully slipped past her. "You are beautiful…I'm an idiot…"

The glare only intensified…I really didn't know what else I could say to her. I was starting to get worried that maybe she had found my blood tester as well. I was almost hoping that she was just mad about April's suit. At least then I would be able to kind of argue back…if she knew about the blood toxicity…the woman might kill me before the palladium even had a chance.

"I need to talk to you." She said darkly. "But I don't want to wake April…put her to bed please."

Oh this was bad…I could feel my heart beating against my ribcage however I nodded. I needed to act casual. If I played it off like nothing was really wrong, she might not suspect a thing. God, I had just dodged a bullet with April…how was I going to avoid the guillotine with Pepper?

Still holding April, I sighed as I carried her upstairs to one of the spare bedrooms. When we got there, I sat down on the bed with her still in my arms and I just spent a moment looking down at her. She was so beautiful…so perfect in every sense of the word to me. Right now, when I had her in my arms and she wasn't screaming in my face…I would cherish being able to just hold her and pretend that I was a good father for her. Smiling a bit sadly, I moved a couple red strands of hair away from her face and, gently, kissed her temple.

"I love you honey," I said softly against her hair. "So much."

"Mmm…" she hummed softly in her sleep.

Carefully, I pulled the blankets back to her bed and tucked her under the cool covers. I could not remember the last time I had tucked April in…but I did remember how it used to go. When she had been little, April had always wanted one more story…one more hug or one more kiss… "one more daddy…just one more". I always felt like such a heel when I had to tell those beautiful green eyes no.

With a final kiss to her head, I went back out to meet Pepper in the living room. She looked gorgeous of course…even when she was unbelievably pissed at me…and I tried to find the words to say to express how sorry I was for whatever the Hell she had found out that would have pissed her off.

"I…um…okay, what did I do?"

"What do you MEAN what did you do!?" she snapped. "Tony! You had an all out brawl with your daughter at the Stark Expo!"

"I know…I was there…" I said with a serious expression. "And I will also tell you that I had no idea that she had her own suit…"

"Oh…oh you had NO idea?" she asked. "Okay, so then what were you BOTH doing down in the lab for so long?"

Well at least this wasn't about the palladium poisoning, so that was kind of a relief. Still, having Pepper mad at me wasn't fun. I didn't like her being so upset, especially when I knew that I couldn't charm or "Stark" my way out of it.

"Pepper…I…you have to admit that in some ways, April having her own suit is a good idea. She'll be safer and…at least with us building the suit together, I can watch her!"

"That's your defense?!" Pepper laughed. "If you are consenting to her having the suit, it's okay because you will have SOME say in it?"

"Yes, exactly!"

"Tony!"

"I mean…no…not exactly…Pepper, she said she would make her own if I didn't help her. What if she made a mistake and the suit was defective? I don't want her getting hurt, especially if I could prevent it."

"You could prevent it by NOT letting her have a suit!"

"It's not about me letting her have it, woman!" I snapped. "She would get it even if I did say no!"

Pepper shook her head and I could tell that she was getting as frustrated as I was. I couldn't take back what I had promised April now. And I truly believed that with me being around to monitor April and the development of her suit…I would be able to make sure she was safer. April's first suit was pretty impressive, but it had many flaws that would have been her undoing in a real fight. I could not make the mistake I had made before back in the courthouse…I was not letting April's life hang in the balance of a faulty piece of machinery. This was the right thing to do…I could feel it in my gut.

"Pepper…I know I suck at this parenting thing," I sighed. "But you have to…let me make some of the decisions now. I know you love April…but so do I."

"I know you love her, Tony," Pepper sighed, her expression going slightly soft. "That is why I am so concerned…"

I nodded and very gently pulled Pepper close and wrapped my arms around her. There weren't words that could possibly describe how much I cared for this woman. I knew that her heart was in the right place, Hell if it wasn't…I doubted that April and I would be this far in our relationship.

"I just…I'm trying my best…" I said softly. "While she was away…it was easy to forget just how much I love and care about her…now I have a shitload of years to make up for Pep. We get to spend so much time together now, especially with her wanting me to help her build her own suit. And who knows? It might come in handy."

I felt Pepper sigh against me, but I refused to let her go. I just wanted her to say that she knew I was doing the right thing. I wanted to know that she felt I was taking care of April. I knew that she had said so before, but I needed some kind of reassurance from the one woman in my world that I trusted my life to.

"Spend the night…" I whispered in her ear. "Please?"

"Tony…I…"

"I want to hold you." I said, gently brushing her hair back and holding her face. "Why won't you let me?"

I felt Pepper place her hands over mine and smile slightly as she looked up at me. She smelled so good…like…apples and warm cinnamon, I love cinnamon. If I wasn't so tired, I would take her right now…but I knew that we both needed sleep, especially since I was going to have to do more work on April's suit.

"Just for tonight, okay?" Pepper breathed lightly against me. "Then I have to go back to Malibu to make sure the company is okay."

"Are you going to let me seal the deal?" I smiled down at her.

Before Pepper could answer, I leaned forward and pressed a passionate kiss against her lips. I knew that this was frowned upon in her eyes…since I was her boss…but I didn't care. I was dying…I wasn't going to waste my time letting this woman run through my head without making a move.

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**_(Please Read and Review...but no flames :) )_**


	18. More Promises

_********__Okay, Chapter Eighteen is here guys :). We are getting back into the movie part of the fanfiction, and this chapter is a bit sadder than the rest. I still hope you all like it and Read and Review!_

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**Chapter Eighteen**

**_April_**

When dad and I finally got back to Malibu, it was to find a very grey and rainy evening waiting for us. The weather was absolutely disgusting and it did nothing to improve my already horrid mood. I couldn't pinpoint why exactly, but I was just not up for feeling high spirited…and I guess Tony could sense that. The plane ride had us both sitting in silence and I honestly just tried to sleep most of it away…but there was something nagging at my mind the entire time. A dream about Tony…and I couldn't get it to make sense whatsoever.

I wanted to ask him about it, but I was afraid he would just dismiss me as being paranoid again…but I couldn't help but feel that something was terribly wrong with him. Every time I looked at him…I felt that he appeared to be a little older than what he was a couple hours before. And of course, he would just smile at me and maybe squeeze my hand to comfort me…but it did little to reassure my racing mind. I wondered if he was sick and just doing his best to hide it…but it didn't make sense. If he was sick with the flu or something, why couldn't he just let himself be sick? Why go through all of this secrecy?

And then part of me just felt like I was worrying over nothing. I often did that and then I ended up making mistakes and screwing everything up when it didn't need to be. I just wanted to know that he was okay. I felt like after everything we had gone through…I just needed to know that he wasn't going to be taken from me ever again. I watched him from my seat in the airplane…seeing him resting his eyes lightly. I smiled quietly and gently took his hand while he slept.

Everything would…be okay…whatever was wrong, it couldn't be that bad…or he would have told me…right? I felt my smile sink back down into a frown as my mind began reeling through all the possibilities and problems Tony could be enduring right at this very moment. What if it was so bad that that was the reason he didn't want to tell me. What if he was dying right before my eyes…and I was just too thick to realize it. I needed to know…these dreams weren't just nonsense…they had some bearing…this was something that I was thinking about…something that Tony had said or did had implanted the idea of his mortality into my mind. Now I just needed to figure out what that was exactly.

Carefully as I could, I reached into Tony's pocket and quietly slipped out the small rectangular device he used to fiddle with Jarvis when he wasn't at home. If anyone could tell me what was wrong with dad…it would be Jarvis. I just needed to be somewhere dad wouldn't hear me or wake up while I was snooping around his databases. I decided that I would take Jarvis with me into the bathroom and work on my hacking there.

"Jarvis…" I said softly, tapping the screen lightly. "Wake up."

"Hello Miss Stark," he said politely. "Are you and Mr. Stark enjoying your flight?"

"Yeah, it's just peachy…Jarvis, I need access to my father's personal files."

Before Jarvis could even protest, I entered in my father's passcode and began snooping through every file that I came across. He had a lot of designs for suit upgrades in here, some of them I was saving into my own personal files for later…but that wasn't what I was interested in. I began to dig deeper, going through every weapon design I could, when I finally reached the design for my dad's arc reactor. I pulled it apart and watched as it floated around me.

This had been his most protected file…there just had to be something in here that he was hiding. I looked at each component my father used when constructing this arc reactor and then I saw it…Palladium…I felt like I had heard the name before…somewhere…

"Jarvis…what is Palladium?"

"Palladium…A malleable, ductile, grayish-white metallic element that occurs naturally with platinum. It is used as a catalyst in hydrogenation and in alloys for making electrical contacts and jewelry. Atomic number 46; atomic weight 106.4; melting point 1,552°C; boiling point 3,140°C; specific gravity 12.02 (20°C); valence 2, 3, 4."

"Can it harm the human body?"

"A brief encounter with Palladium poses no threat to the human body."

I sighed slightly in relief.

"However, continuous exposure and use to the Palladium is lethal-"

"Define continuous…like…like how many times dad uses the suit?"

"Unfortunately that is the case…your father has tested positive for Palladium poisoning Miss Stark..."

My mind blanked for a moment and I couldn't hear anything. I felt sick…really sick…and for a moment I thought I might vomit right then and there. My dad…was dying through the use of a device that was supposed to keep him alive. Talk about a cruel irony…and at the moment, I felt like I was completely lost in the words Jarvis had given me. I wish I would have kept my nose out of it…I wish I wouldn't have snooped, I wish I wouldn't have known…but now I did know and I didn't know what the Hell to do about it.

"Are…are there any replacements?" I whispered, unaware of what was actually coming out of my mouth.

"None that can serve as a viable replacement for the Palladium core."

That had done it…I was now going to actually be sick. Setting Jarvis down, I leaned over the toilet and vomited…feeling tears fall down my face as the words replayed over and over in my head. "None that can serve as a viable replacement, none that can serve…" it just turned my stomach.

"April?" I heard a rapid knock at the door. "Are you throwing up in there?"

"Y-Yeah…" I retched, wiping my mouth. "I…I just feel a little air sick…can I get some privacy please?"

I knew he wouldn't leave though…he was going to sit there and listen to me puke, just in case he needed to bust in and be the superhero. That was the problem! This was all Iron Man's fault! If dad didn't feel the need to be a fucking superhero, he wouldn't need to deal with the palladium and he would be able to…to just be normal! Now because of his need to save the world…I was going to lose my father! I couldn't lose him, I just got him back!

Why…why was it getting so hard to breathe in here? Were the walls always this close together? What was happening? My vision was getting blurry…oh God, I was going to pass out…I…I needed to calm down…I couldn't breathe…why…why was it so hard to catch my breath? Why…why…why was it getting dark? I needed to get out…to find a cure…he couldn't leave…why did he have to do this to me? Why did he always leave…I…I was going to lose my daddy again…no…no…no!

"D-Dad…" I called. "I…I…-"

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When I woke up…I found myself with a fucking headache from Hell and that I was no longer in Tony's private jet. We were actually home now and from the looks of it…darkness had just settled in for the night. I sat up from the sofa and gently pushed the blanket Tony or Pepper had draped over me off. Taking a moment to collect my strength, I pulled myself up and began looking around to see where everyone had gone.

I could hear voices coming from downstairs in the lab…loud, angry, voices…arguing over some old paintings…it didn't really concern me at the moment. I took my time getting down to the lab, as my legs felt pretty shaky, and I peered around the corner…dad and Pepper were talking about something…but I wasn't really able to focus on what at the moment. I just wanted to know what had happened while I was on the plane. And then it hit me…like a ton of bricks…dad was dying.

"Ooh…" I held my head as it began to throb and race and I tried to lean against something sturdy to hold myself up.

"April?"

I sunk to the floor as I felt my legs shake and I began to try and steady my breathing which kept coming out in rapid spasms. I was having some sort of anxiety attack…I needed to calm down and get back in control.

"Baby…baby look at me," Tony said, gently holding my face. "I'm right here honey… you need to relax. Are you with me?"

"I'm calling an ambulance…" Pepper said.

"N-No!" I gasped. "N-No…"

Tony hushed me and held me close, and as I listened to his heartbeat…I felt a sort of calm overtake me. He was still here…and his heart sounded strong…we had time…I didn't know how much time, but I knew that we had some time. I looked up at him weakly and gently touched his face…tears filling my eyes once more.

"Honey, what's wrong?" he asked, one of his strong hands caressing my cheek.

I looked over to Pepper and briefly wondered if she knew…I didn't want to risk her finding out dad's secret…then that would reveal to him that I knew. I was going to have to lie…in order to save him…I was going to have to lie so he would think I knew nothing about this. Because I knew that Tony would never let me save his life…not if he could help it.

"I…I woke up…and you weren't there…"

Tony kissed my forehead and pulled my closer against him. I just wanted to stay here forever…just Tony and I and no one else to destroy what we had finally come to in our relationship.

"I will always be here for you baby…I promise."

Tears filled my eyes once more and I chewed my bottom lip...did he really believe he could keep that promise?

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**_(Please Read and Review...but no flames :) )_**


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